Together
by The Real JL Rules
Summary: Set after the first season of the Justice League animated series. It's Christmas, but while Batman and Wonder Woman try and resolve their mutual feelings, old enemies prepare one final strike... Originally written in 2002-2003.
1. Chapter 1

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. This is the first fanfiction I ever wrote. I wrote it over Christmas 2002, and posted it on a JL fansite RPG forum at that time. It is evidently set in the continuity of the Justice League animated series that was airing back then. However, being in the UK, I didn't see the second season until into 2003, so this story branches off after the season one finale, _The Savage Time_. That means the team is still at just seven members, Hawkgirl was never a spy, Superman was still a wuss, and _Unlimited_, with its massive roster, never happened. So, to clarify: no season two, no _Unlimited_. Got that? Cool. I never doubted ya._

_3. And so begins Wayback Wednesdays! I have decided to post my original stories, for prosperity's sake, if nothing else. As I've mentioned before, I originally began posting this story here many, many years ago, but for whatever reason, only got a couple of chapters in. Now, if this proves popular, I shall showcase all my 2002-2003 writings here. And anyone who visited that fansite back then may remember - I wrote quite a few stories! I look back on these now and there are parts I hate, but for better or worse, here they are, (largely) unaltered. Hopefully, I've improved since then (probably not). I really hope you enjoy the first instalment of Wayback Wednesdays._

* * *

PART 1

20th December. Five days until Christmas.

Everywhere there was anticipation. Eagerness for the coming festivities. Hearts were high, feelings were warm. Everyone had the holiday spirit.

Everyone, except for one man.

He looked down on the alleyway, eyes darting, covering every inch. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

No, that was not right. There _was_ something out of the ordinary.

All was peaceful.

He lifted his head to look at the sky above and breathed in. He should have been happy, glad that there was nothing that needed his attention that night. And truly he was. He was happy that, for at least one week in the year, people were good to each other and the city was full of goodwill.

But part of him was disappointed. Disappointed that he did not have the chance to pound some perk's head into a wall. To deflect some punk's gun from his hand and twist his wrist to near-breaking point.

Because this was Christmas. And he needed something at this time of year to release his frustration, his loneliness, his pain.

The month of Christmas was the most painful for him. Not because people were happy – far from it. He had dedicated his entire life to making sure no one would be as lonely as him. He found it painful because of exactly that: loneliness.

He longed to have a family he could call his own. Someone to spend the holiday – his life – with. His adoptive "family" had deserted him. Well, not deserted. He had pushed them away – but the fact that they had still left…

A ringing of bells caught his attention. He turned his head to look at the street below. Outside a café, a man dressed as Santa Claus was collecting for charity. He saw a few people drop some coins, even notes into his little tin. Just the previous month he had watched as a man dressed in a smart suit stood in the rain collecting for charity. The poor man had not got a second glance from anyone. It was amazing what the Christmas season could do.

He continued watching as the man in the fake white beard rang his bell and continually went "Ho, ho, ho." He must have received at least $100 in just over five minutes.

He stood there on the roof and almost smiled. He almost hoped that the Santa was a conman, so he could swoop down and break his nose.

Yes, he hated this time of year. The laughter and joy of the people made his heart ache. If he had not cried all his tears before he was in his teens, he would do so now.

He turned his head away from the street and looked up at the stars. Such a beautiful night. Clear, flawless, perfect. Almost regal.

Like a princess.

He cursed himself for thinking of her again. It seemed that everything reminded him of her. He tried to forget about her. But he could not. She had dominated his thoughts for the longest time. The truth was…

He was in love with her.

With all his heart.

But he could never tell her.

Never.

The Batman removed a grapple out from his utility belt and fired it at a nearby flagpole. He then swung away from the roof, into the night.

/

Diana held her tiara in her hands and stroked the golden surface. She stared at it for what seemed like an eternity, thoughts running through her head.

In a way, the tiara symbolised all that she had lost, in such a short amount of time.

She had first worn the headdress, as well as the rest of her red, blue and gold costume, to help mankind against an alien invasion. She had gone against her mother's wishes and travelled to Man's World, to fight alongside mankind.

And her mother was not happy when Diana had decided to stay.

For her freedom and her independence, she had sacrificed her home and her mother.

She had been banished from Themyscira. The reason her mother, Hippolyta, gave, was for bringing men – her fellow Justice League teammates – onto the island. But Diana knew part of the reason was the abandonment, the shunning her mother had felt when she had left.

Diana looked at her tiara and thought. Was this what she had given up her home for? To join with a group of men and fight man's problems? Perhaps it was the excitement, the thrill of battle that kept her away from Themyscira.

Or maybe it was her teammates – her friends – that made her stay. The people she had formed a bond with in her short time away from home. Each one was different from mankind, set apart, just as she was. Perhaps that was why she felt belonging with these people, this Justice League.

And there was one in particular. One that she felt a link, a commonness, a bond with. Though he had not factored much in her initial decision to stay in Man's World, her continual stay was down almost entirely to him.

He covered himself in darkness, but Diana could sense an inner light within him. A light which burst forth and warmed every one of their colleagues. Whether respect from Superman, humorous intimidation from the Flash, or understanding from J'onn, the team had learnt that there was more to the Batman than his cold demeanour.

And what did he bring out in her? She tried to ignore it, but she could not.

Love.

She loved him. As her time with her new friends went on, she quickly realised that she was in love with the Dark Knight.

Diana wondered what the others, and Batman himself, would think if they knew that. For all she knew, J'onn already did. Hell, maybe it was so obvious the general public knew.

Her thoughts were broken by a sudden burst of noise from down the hallway. Diana stood up off her bed and, after a quick look out of her window at the stars and the planet Earth, put her tiara on her head and headed towards the source of the noise.

/

Diana walked into the main observation room of the Watchtower, where the loud noise was coming from. What she saw surprised her.

Superman was standing by one of the huge windows, wrapping some sparkly stuff around what looked like a small tree. J'onn J'onzz was standing beside him, watching him intently. Green Lantern was using his ring to form a big tray, before using it to pickup a bunch of colourfully wrapped boxes. He then placed them underneath Superman's tree.

Turning her head to see the source of the noise, Diana found the Flash dancing at superspeed. She quickly realised the noise must be "popular music", or as Flash called it, "groove tunes." Hawkgirl then walked into view and forcefully turned the ghettoblaster off. Diana walked towards her friends.

"Oh come on, doll!" said Flash, "I was movin' to that!"

Hawkgirl was visibly angry. "You call that moving? It looked like you were having a seizure!"

Green Lantern looked at the pair. "How would you notice?"

Superman placed a metal star on the top of the small tree. "Now people," he began, "let's get along shall we? It's Christmas, a time for goodwill among friends."

"Maybe it's time for the fastest lunkhead alive to have a meeting with my mace!" threatened Hawkgirl, holding her weapon menacingly. Flash looked worried and backed up a step.

Diana walked over to Superman and J'onn. "So this is that Christmas thing you told me about."

"It would appear so," said the Martian.

Superman looked at Flash as Hawkgirl walked away from him. The speedster's face was frozen with fear; eventually, Flash looked around and then saw Lantern, and shrugged his shoulders and grinned. Lantern just rolled his eyes. "Christmas is a time for family," said Superman, "for people to get together with their loved ones and have fun."

J'onn watched as Hawkgirl sat back down on a sofa and returned to her book. "You sound like you have experienced that firsthand," he said.

Superman smiled. "Yeah, my parents and I would always go all out for Christmas. We didn't have much, but we loved eachother. My pa would go out into town and buy some logs. We'd then have a warm fire and just sit and talk. I…" Superman drifted, before falling silent. His face fell and his eyes looked pained.

"What's wrong?" asked J'onn.

"N-nothing," replied Superman. "Just… nothing." He went back to the tree and tried to cover the awkward silence he had made. "Come on, John, help me with this tinsel."

Lantern put down Flash's CD collection – which he had looked less than impressed with – and went over to Superman, J'onn and Diana. Diana decided to leave them to it and turned to walk out.

She was not in the celebrating mood.

/

Lex Luthor put down his empty glass after taking the last sip of wine. He had been told by the prison doctors that alcohol was not good for him after being diagnosed with radiation poisoning. But he did not care. He did not care about anything anymore… except for the death of Superman and the destruction of the Justice League.

Luthor stood up and looked through the window to the adjoining room. There, sitting around a large table, were five costumed criminals, dubbed by the media as supervillains.

Copperhead was leering at Star Sapphire. The Prankster was mystifying Solomon Grundy with a crooked cardtrick. And the Shade was just sitting there, looking at his companions incredulously.

A voice from behind caught Luthor's attention. "I must say, Lexy boy, when you told me you were bringing the band back together, I thought you were kidding. But I guess the joke's on me! _HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA_!"

Luthor turned to face the man behind him. "Don't you ever shut up?" he asked, annoyed.

The Joker jumped up off his chair and put his hand to his heart. "Lexy baby, you wound me! And here I thought you loved my endless optimism."

"I thought you'd been diagnosed with endless insanity," Luthor said.

The Joker grinned. "Well, yes, but the chicks prefer the former. Isn't that right, pooh?"

Harley Quinn turned her attention from her painting she was creating and looked at the two men. "Yes way, Mr. J!" she answered.

"Say, what's that you're doing, baby?" asked Joker, walking over to Harley and her canvas.

Harley seemed nervous. "Er, nothing pum'kin, just a little thing I was doing." She tried to quickly remove the canvas from its stand and put it on the floor, but Joker yanked it away and looked at it. The painting was of a delicately portrayed woman with flowing red hair, wrapped in green vines.

"Hmmmmmm," pondered Joker, "this pretty little poppy reminds me of someone… but I can't put my finger on it." Suddenly he clicked his fingers and cried out, "Ah, I've got it! It's Luthor's old bodyguard, isn't it?"

Harley's eyes darted around. "Er… yeah, Mr. J," she stammered. "It's a… er, present for Mr. L."

Luthor growled. Joker spun on his heels. "Well, have mercy! 'Tis the season of giving, and I will give Harley the pleasure of me giving this gift to ol' Lexy baby! Two gives with one action – and the Bat says I've no clue!" Joker went over to Luthor and handed out the painting, waiting for Luthor to accept it.

Luthor rolled his eyes. "Can we stop clowning around and get on with business?"

Joker pouted. "Well, I guess we know who's Scrooge this year. Oh what the heck, if it's work you want to do first, Lex, who am I to argue? Let the meeting begin!"

Joker danced out the room to the other villains, throwing the painting on the floor. Luthor nearly stepped on it as he followed him out. However, Harley quickly whisked the canvas in her arms before it could be ruined. She placed it carefully back on its stand, sighed, and followed Joker and Luthor.

Luthor and Joker took their seats at the table with the other criminals and Harley hovered over the clown. "Now," began Luthor, "I think you all know why I've called you here today."

Star Sapphire cocked an eyebrow. "Desperate to spend the holiday with someone before you croak, baldy?"

Luthor's eye twitched, but he kept his rage in check. "I risked a lot to get us all out of prison. You _could_ show me a little gratitude!"

The Prankster yawned.

Suddenly everyone was rocked by a small explosion in the middle of the table. When the smoke cleared, all heads turned to see the reason for the shock.

"Now now, children," sneered Joker, a smoking hightech gun in his hand, "Lexy baby is talking, and as his right hand man, I'd appreciate it if you could all listen to him. Unless of course, you want to 'learn to smile', ha ha ha ha."

There was silence.

"Thank you," said Luthor, "Now then, to business. As you know, the last time we faced the Justice League, we failed because we fought them as a team, where they were all watching eachother's backs."

"I think I know where this is going," said Shade.

"Good, Shade," replied Luthor, smiling. "My plan is simple. Divide and conquer. We all face one Justice Leaguer individually."

"Grundy not understand," grunted the huge monster.

"Yeah, how is that supposed to work, Luthor?" Copperhead said. "We all have had… 'unsuccess'… at facing the Leaguers alone."

"You misunderstand," Luthor said. "The Leaguers will be alone… but WE will be together."

Sapphire smiled. "I see… seven on one… interesting."

Luthor continued. "And you will all be paid, as you _would_ have been before, most handsomely. I guarantee that."

Joker rubbed his hands. "Ooooh I can hardly wait… it's going to be some hecks of parties! Ha ha ha ha ha – _HA HA HA HA HA HA_!"

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

* * *

PART 2

The hangerbay doors opened and the craft slowly moved in. As the massive doors closed, the craft landed on the floor of the bay. Once everything was in place and the airlock had been secured, the cockpit opened and the occupant stood up out of his transportation.

Batman looked around the Watchtower hangerbay. There was the Javalin-7, right in the same position it had been for the past week. Whoever had last used it must have been staying at the Watchtower for several days.

Batman leapt out of the Batwing cockpit and landed like a cat on the steel floor. He then activated the jet's shielding and, once satisfying himself that all was fine, left the bay.

As he neared the main deck of the Watchtower, Batman heard voices. His teammates were all there already. But something else caught his attention. As he walked more, he made out the sound of music.

"Oh no," he murmured.

Batman reached the entranceway and saw his fellow Justice League colleagues decorating the deck.

They were decorating the Watchtower. His Watchtower. That he had paid for.

Did they not know he did not like the holiday season?

Flash stopped his gyrating to his Christmas CD and looked at the entranceway. "Hey Bats!" he shouted. The others in the room turned to see Batman.

Batman walked into the room, out of the shadowed corridor. "What… are you all doing?"

"What does it look like?" asked a smiling Superman. That comment, and the expression, made Batman want to smash the Kryptonian's face in.

"I… thought you didn't celebrate Christmas," Batman lied. He knew very well that Superman loved celebrating the season with his family. But still, why were the others celebrating with him? J'onn and Hawkgirl were aliens like Superman; John always seemed that celebrating things was beneath him; and Diana…

Wait a minute. Where was Diana?

Batman hated not knowing where Diana was. Whenever she was not present at a League meeting or mission, he always made sure he knew where she was. Call it one of the effects of being in love.

Deciding to not ask where she was, in case his colleagues began suspecting something, Batman let his curiosity go. Instead he turned to walk out of the room, but was stopped by a cry of anger from Hawkgirl.

"Yeeeeeeaaaarrrrrrrrgh" she cried and she threw her book against a wall. "Stupid thing! Can't the writer just _get on with it_?!"

Flash zipped to Hawkgirl's side. "What were you reading?"

"_War and Peace_. I thought I could get into it, given the title, but I guess reading just isn't my thing."

Flash grinned. "There there, cookie, maybe we can find out what your thing is - together." He draped an arm over her shoulder. Hawkgirl looked at his arm then glared at him. That was all the warning Flash needed, and he zipped right back to his previous position, on the other side of the deck, by the ghettoblaster.

"OK, time to crank this thing up, moonside!" Flash turned the volume up and the deck was filled with Christmas music.

Batman turned to leave again. "Flash, turn that off."

Flash was dancing at superspeed again. "Oh come on, Bats, get with the jive!"

There was a small whooshing noise, and the music suddenly stopped. Flash stood still to see the "Stop" button speared, with perfect precision, by a batarang.

"Er… anyone up for Twister?"

/

"There it is, ladies and gentlemen. Keystone city."

Lex Luthor pointed to the outskirts of the city just over the hill. With him was the entirety of the new Injustice Gang.

The Prankster walked up to Luthor's side. He saw the welcoming banner which greeted people as they entered the city. "'Welcome to Keystone City,'" he recited, "'Home of the Flash'. Bah! I'm twice the character he is!"

"Maybe it's because you tried to blow up the city like, a dozen times. People don't like that," Star Sapphire said, deadpan.

"Careful what you say, Pinky," warned Prankster, "or you'll be on my hitlist."

"She's _already_ on my 'hit' list," Copperhead hissed, flicking his snakelike tongue at Sapphire. Sapphire's face creased with disgust.

"Let's remember why we're here," interrupted Luthor. "Phase one of my plan begins tomorrow. For now, we go into the city, lie low and then, well, Joker knows the plan from there… don't you?"

Joker stepped from the darkness from under a tree. "You know I do, Lexy my boy! What else would you expect from the Clown Prince of Pranks? No offence, junior." Joker raised a hand in mock apology at the Prankster.

Luthor suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He doubled over and buckled under his own weight, falling to his knees. "Arrrrrrrrrrrgh…" The other criminals looked down on him, but none offered assistance.

He was having another pain attack, a result of the Kryptonite poisoning that was slowly killing him. For over two minutes, Luthor tried to calm his breathing and regain his composure. His compatriots meanwhile, had lost interest and were talking amongst themselves.

Once the worst of the attack was over, Luthor slowly stood up and slowed his breathing. "Never mind about me," he growled, "I'm fine."

Joker noticed that Luthor was back up and got a handkerchief out from his pocket. He then ran to Luthor and pretended to look concerned. "Oh, Lexy, are you OK champ?" he asked, as he mopped Luthor's head.

"Stop that!" screamed Luthor, grabbing the handkerchief and throwing it to the ground. Joker looked hurt.

"Why Lex, I'm only concerned for your safety! After all, if you go… who else am I gonna tell my baldness jokes about? _Ha_!"

Luthor clenched his teeth. "Come on," he ordered. "Let's get into that city before I get my armour out of my bag and wipe that smile off your face."

As Luthor and the others began walking towards Keystone, Joker danced on the spot. "Ooh, I do believe he made a funny! There's hope for you yet, Lexy!" He then turned towards a nearby field and called out. "Come on Harl, time to go!"

Harley Quinn looked away from the ivy that was growing up the side of a fence and weakly said "Coming, Mr. J." She turned back to the ivy, gave a longing look, then turned and followed the others into Keystone.

/

"Wonder Woman."

Diana turned her head from her milkshake and looked at the kitchen doorway, seeing the Batman. She gave a big smile. "Why do you call me that?"

Batman walked into the room. "What do you mean?"

"You're the only person who calls me that," she replied. She motioned for Batman to take a seat at the table, but the man in the mask just stood there. She shook her head and let it go. "Why do you call me 'Wonder Woman'?"

Batman seemed abit embarrassed, but quickly composed himself. "Well…" he began, obviously put on the spot. "Your… chest insignia is of a double-'W'."

Diana could swear she saw the Dark Knight blushing under his mask. With a smirk she said, "A 'WW'?"

"No, a double…" he stopped. "Yes."

Diana tried to stop a giggle, but failed. She loved talking to Batman; she loved just being _near_ him. Despite his cold exterior, she found his presence reassuring.

Batman raised an eye at her amusement and seemed confused. Diana managed to stop laughing, but her big smile stayed. "You know," she said, "you must be quite clever to come up with a name for me, based purely on two letters."

"It… seemed logical," Batman said.

Diana noticed his discomfort and immediately felt a pang of sorrow. The last thing she wanted to do was make the man she loved feel uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," she said, "I guess I just needed a little fun. I haven't been in the best of moods."

Batman's tone immediately changed from confusion to concern. "What's wrong?"

Diana noticed the change in Batman's tone, and thought for a second that, perhaps, he cared about her more than she thought. But she quickly brushed the thought away – this was the Batman; he did not like anyone in particular over anyone else. Why would she be any different? "Oh, nothing really. Don't concern yourself," Diana replied, before taking a long slurp from her milkshake.

"Diana…" Batman pressed.

She sighed. "I just… keep wondering if I've made the right choices. Am I really in the right place?"

There was silence for a few seconds. Finally, Batman said, softly, "The League would be less of a team without you, Diana."

Diana felt better. That was one of the things she loved most about Batman – although he kept his comments short and to the point, when he had to he could say something to make the atmosphere better. Although not an official part of the team, he was in many ways the glue that kept the League together.

She turned to look at him, but Batman was gone.

"Typical," she sighed. She returned to her milkshake and shook her head. Despite the way it could freak the Flash out, Diana hated it when Batman performed his disappearing act. Because it meant he was no longer there. No longer around her. And she found that feeling more empty and painful every time it happened.

/

21st December. Four days until Christmas.

The alarm clock buzzed like an annoying bee, relentlessly. The man in the bed groaned as he awoke, groggily lifted his head from his pillow and saw the clock. Then, at an alarming speed, he sped his hand at the wrist, creating a whirlwind powerful enough to move the clock from the bedside table and send it flying into the air, before crashing onto the floor.

Wally West sat up and looked down. It was a good thing he had bought an extra-thick rug; after five clocks smashing on the thin-carpeted floor, he had finally gotten a clue. He thought about stopping the clock by just turning it off… but using his abilities to send it to the floor was more fun.

He stood up and went to a mirror. After a few minutes admiring himself, he thought back to the previous evening. He had been at the Watchtower with his fellow Justice Leaguers, getting ready for Christmas. He wondered why they exactly had decorated the base – it was not as if he was going to be spending the big day with them. Then again, maybe they had nowhere else to go.

Wally felt a bit of sadness for them. As far as he knew, they did not have civilian lives to go back to once the superheroing was done. True, Wally spent most of his time as the Flash, but at least he had somewhere to go home to.

After he had showered and ate, Wally slipped into his red costume – he could hardly remember the last time he started the day in normal clothes – and at superspeed, ran out of his apartment.

Within seconds, he was out of his building and halfway across another block. His mind began to wander back to the previous evening.

Superman had been going on relentlessly about the Christmas season. Flash found that surprising – he never thought that the Man of Steel would be interested in the holiday. Then again, he never really thought of the man behind the costume – he had never even considered that Superman had a life outside of superheroing.

Then Flash remembered Superman's sudden silence right after he talked about his parents. That was a shock alone – Superman had _parents_? But after that, his continual talking of the holiday season had ceased, almost as if something was wrong.

Flash brushed those thoughts away. What could possibly bother an uberhero like Superman?

His thoughts turned to Green Lantern. Flash was completely surprised that _he_ had contributed to the festivities. Green Lantern, Mr. Serious, Mr. "Grow-Up!", liked Christmas? Perhaps there was hope for the humourless guy yet.

Flash's mind went on a brief tangent – the word "humourless." He knew what it meant, but if he could just pronounce it…

His mind wandered to Hawkgirl. He remembered his comments to her at the Watchtower. Flash winced as he played out the moment in his mind. How could he have been so stupid? If only Hawkgirl had known that he was _serious_ about wanting to be with her more…

But that was his problem. He could not say _anything_ serious. It was a defence mechanism. No matter how much he tried, he could not bring himself to be serious for any reasonable amount of time. In fact, the only times he showed any selfcontrol was in near-death – make that near-_imminent_ death – situations. Other than that, he always cruised on "idiot" mode.

He cursed himself. He hated his tactless personality sometimes. Especially when it came to her. To Hawkgirl.

Flash had always been a ladies' man. He had womanised practically every female he had ever encountered. But Hawkgirl was different. He actually _cared_ about her.

Maybe the Christmas season would be the key. After all, it was the time for miracles. Surely…

By now, Flash had been away from his apartment for about ten minutes. He had already covered half of Keystone. As he approached a videostore, something caught his ears.

He stopped infront of the store and looked at the televisions in the window. They were showing the local news… and what Flash saw, surprised him.

It was a hostage situation. The Prankster was holding a young blondehaired woman at the top of a building.

Flash pondered the situation. Not the Prankster's usual strategy. But still… if evil was afoot and a beautiful damsel was in distress, who was he to leave it?

Flash sped to the building's location, ready for an easy rescue.

/

The Flash reached the building where the Prankster was holding his female hostage. Deciding to get the job done as quickly as possible, the Fastest Man Alive ran up the side of the building, reaching the roof in a matter of seconds. However, before Flash could reach his goal, the Prankster threw his hostage off of the roof.

His eyes widening, Flash zoomed back down the building, as the young woman screamed in terror. Then, once he was below her, Flash kicked off the surface of the building and leapt into the air, catching the woman in his arms.

As they landed on the ground, Flash skidded to cushion the shock. Once they were still, Flash looked at the woman he had saved. To say she was cute would be an understatement: she had puppy-dog eyes, a big mouth and long blonde hair wrapped in pigtails.

Momentarily distracted, Flash did not sense the person approaching him from behind. Suddenly, he felt two hands on either temple and an electric shock attacked his head. After a few seconds the attack ended and Flash, who had fallen to his knees from the shock, slowly lowered the woman to the ground. It was not so much a concerted effort – he was merely too weak to move any faster and it was just fortunate for the young woman that he did not simply drop her.

As he held his head to regain his senses, Flash moaned. "Oh man…" After his thoughts cleared, he looked up and saw Star Sapphire standing infront of him. Still dazed, he only managed a gasp before Sapphire fired a purple ray at him, sending him flying into a wall on the other side of the street.

Though weakened, Flash's brashness got the better of him and, vaguely seeing Sapphire about twenty yards from him, he got to his feet and ran towards her for an attack.

However, he did not notice Solomon Grundy step infront of Sapphire, and Flash crashed right into the gigantic monster, knocking himself even more senseless. "Oh man…" he repeated. "Three of you?"

Grundy raised his fists and sent them down, but Flash managed to move out of the way and Grundy pummelled a small crater into the pavement.

Flash decided to take stock, running into a nearby alley. Taking quick breaths, he decided he needed help. He put his hand to his ear to activate his League communicator. "Superman, this is Flash, I…" He stopped when he noticed no signal on the other end. "Superman? Can you hear me?" He tried the others. "Batman? J'onn? GL?" Nothing. "Aw no…"

Trying to calm his breathing, he took a chance and peered out of the alley. To his surprise, the street was clear. No Star Sapphire. No Grundy. Not even the Prankster.

However, Flash noticed that the hostage _was_ still there, and she appeared groggy. Forgetting his own pain and weariness, Flash ran as fast as he could to the young woman. Raising her head from the ground, she appeared to recover from her grogginess and looked up at him.

Flash smiled. "Hey, babe," he said, "You OK, trooper?" As he looked at her, he noticed, in the corner of his eye, a flower on her left lapel.

"Oooh…" replied the blondehaired woman. "I'm fine now that you're here, puddin'."

As she stared into his eyes, Flash did not notice the woman raising her hand to the flower. Giving it a little squeeze, it sprayed out a puff of gas, which Flash breathed straight into his lungs.

Taken aback, Flash began uncontrollably coughing, then, falling to the ground, he looked at the woman, who began giggling. As he felt consciousness slipping away, he heard maniacal laughter from above him. He caught a foggy outline of two people, one in shiny green, the other in deep purple, before his strength left him…

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter 3

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

* * *

PART 3

He had been on top of the skyscraper for hours. He looked down on his city, seeing all the people he had sworn to protect; he heard all the voices that he tried to make sure were free of fear and unhappiness.

His heart was heavy. Usually at this time of year, he was joyous, excited at the happiness that was Christmas. But not this year. This year, for the first time, he wanted to forget about it, to forget the love and togetherness this season brought.

But he could not. He tried, but his heart would not let him.

He looked up at the rising sun. It was barely eight in the morning, and yet the sun was shining brighter than is usually did at this time of day, at this time of year. He remembered how the sun looked from his bedroom as a child, above the cornfields, the smell of fresh wheat in the air.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He had to forget about it. He had a duty. A duty to the world. To the people of Earth. They were far more important than anything he used to have. His friends, his family…

"Superman?"

Superman darted his head up and turned to see J'onn J'onzz hovering a few feet away. He straightened up from his crouched position as the Martian floated nearer. Superman sighed again; he must have really been distracted to not notice his teammate's presence. "Hello, J'onn," he finally said. "What brings you to Metropolis?"

"Things are… slow at the Watchtower," replied J'onn. "The Flash left earlier this morning to return to Keystone city. Green Lantern was called away to deflect a meteor shower on Araros IV. And Wonder Woman has stayed in her room all night, shortly after Batman returned to Gotham city."

Superman smiled. "So, you're calling Diana 'Wonder Woman' too, eh?"

J'onn raised an eyebrow. "I… overheard Batman call her that. I thought it seemed appropriate."

"I guess it is." There was silence for a few seconds. Finally, Superman said, "So, er, any plans for Christmas?"

"None at all."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

J'onn raised a hand. "It is fine. Infact, that is what I wanted to talk to you about."

Superman cocked an eyebrow. "You want to talk to me about Christmas?" He was surprised by this; it was OK for him to ask J'onn, but for J'ONN to come to Metropolis for the specific purpose of talking about the holiday season…

"You seemed unhappy lastnight at the Watchtower. I wondered if there was anything I could do to help."

Superman frowned. "Oh," he said flatly. He looked away for a moment, then turned back and said, "No. Thank you."

"I do not mean to pry," J'onn said, "but I sensed some pain in your mind, and I want you to know that, as friends, I and the rest of the Justice League are here for you."

Superman put a hand on the Martian's shoulder. "I appreciate it J'onn, but you shouldn't trouble yourselves. Really."

"Just remember that you have friends, Superman," said J'onn. "You welcomed me into your lives when I came to Earth, and I want to help in any way I can, if there is something on your mind."

Superman was silent for a moment. He pondered the situation. If J'onn wanted to, he could just read his mind and find out what was troubling him. That J'onn respected his privacy, but still showed concern for him, was admirable. After a few more moments, Superman turned to J'onn and began, "Well, actually…"

Suddenly J'onn put a hand to his head and groaned. His face creased and he began to lose his concentration on keeping adrift. Before he could fall though, Superman caught him and held him steady. "J'onn, what is it?"

J'onn took a few breaths, before saying slowly, "Flash… something's wrong with Flash…"

Superman forgot his own problems and flew J'onn and himself to the roof of the skyscraper. "What's wrong with Flash, J'onn?"

J'onn stared out blankly. "Confusion… pain… desperation… fear…"

Superman's concern grew, while J'onn's breathing returned to normal. Straightening up, J'onn simply said, "He is gone."

"Gone?"

"Gone."

/

Luthor was reading the latest chapter of his novel when he heard footsteps behind him. He put the bookmark in the book and put it on the table. Turning, he saw Copperhead standing in the entranceway. "Yes, Copperhead?" Luthor asked.

Copperhead pointed down the hallway. "He's awake. Figured you'd wanna know."

Luthor stood up. "Excellent. Let's go visit our guest." The two walked out of the room and went down the hallway, before reaching a closed door. Twisting the handle, Luthor opened the door and entered the darkened room. He flicked the light switch on and looked down at the floor. There, covered by a large pane of glass, was a ten foot-by-twenty foot pit, with no lighting of its own, coated with and a smooth, slick surface.

Luthor saw the occupant of the pit and smiled. The imprisoned man, wearing red and gold attire, looked up. He was visibly groggy. As he comprehended what he saw, the man in the pit sluggishly spoke. "So… it's you. Whassa matter, Luthor… don't wanna be alone… for Christmas?"

Luthor began pacing around the rim of the pit. "My dear boy, I admire your humour even in the most dire of situations. What a pity you won't live very much longer to provide more witticisms."

The Flash blinked a few times. "What are you upto, baldy… ?" He tried to stand, but his legs gave out on him and he fell to the floor, unable to balance himself. "Oh man…" he groaned.

"Having a bit of trouble standing, Flash?" asked Luthor. "That might be because, while you were out, we pumped you heavily with drugs. You won't be moving with your usual grace for quite sometime. Not that it would matter." He waved his hand and Flash's eyes followed them to what seemed to be airholes on the walls of his pit. "Those airvents are continually pumping tranquillising gas into your 'hole in the ground'. It won't knock you out or kill you - it will just keep your mind cloudy enough so you can't think of escaping. And the walls have been coated with a slick wax, meaning that in your weakened state you won't be able to run up the side to the top. Finally, your glass roof is several inches thick, meaning it will be _very_ hard to break."

Flash tried to get his senses together. "You slimey…"

"Now now, no need for foul language," mocked Luthor. He stepped onto the glass and knelt down, so his face was inches from the transparent material. "You see, your friends will come and rescue you, and when they do… we'll be ready for them."

Luthor stood up and went to leave the room. He heard Flash shouting as loud as he could, but he was still woozy. "You'll never get away with this… we'll stop you. You'll be back in prison before you can say 'Merry Christmas'…"

Luthor laughed. "Oh please, give me a break." He turned the lights off, exited the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Flash alone in the dark.

/

The Joker flew his head back as he maniacally laughed at the magazine he was reading. "_Ha ha ha ha_ – oh, look at that Snapper Carr's hairstyle! Doesn't he look like a moron, pooh?"

Harley Quinn angled her head to view the magazine. There was a picture of news reporter Snapper Carr, who was being interviewed. "Er… right, Mr. J," she said, "I guess so."

Joker spun on his chair, then tore the magazine to pieces. "You're right Harl! I mean, look at me – the picture of style." He slicked his hair back. "Everyone should definitely have green hair! Green never goes out of fashion. Purple neither." He stood up and began pacing across the room. "Harl, put it down on my To Do list – I must educate Mr. Carr on the fashions in hair!"

Harley rolled her eyes, then went to her handbag and rummaged through, before finding a small notepad. She leafed to the back and wrote down Joker's idea, word-for-word.

"Oh Harl, remind me again, what's the first thing on my list?"

"Er…" Harley flicked back to the front of the pad. "'Kill Batman'." she read.

Joker's face fell. "Oh yeah," he mumbled. "What about number two?"

"'Kill Batman'."

Joker smacked his head. "Uuuugghhhhhh. Harley, what's the next thing, and _don't_ tell me it's 'Kill Batman'!"

Harley read the third item on the list and smiled. "Nope, it's 'Maim Batman'!"

Joker shook his hands in the air, then quickly turned and squeezed his flower on his lapel. A flow of acid sprayed out, destroying the notepad. Harley threw the disintegrating pad to the floor before the acid got to her hands as well.

"Yipe!" cried Harley, but Joker appeared unfazed.

"Oh calm down, Harl," he said, "you sound like a little girl!"

Harley sat still on her seat for a few seconds, then turned away and shook her head.

Joker swivelled on the spot at the sound of the door to the room opening, and saw Luthor walk in. "Ooh Lexy, how's our visitor?"

"He's sitting well," said Luthor. "He's putting on the usual brave face, but I can tell he was scared out of his wits. Not that that's saying much…"

Luthor paused as Joker let out another roar of laughter. When the clown had finally finished, he continued. "My plan worked perfectly. Star Sapphire and Solomon Grundy softened him up, then Harley Quinn delivered the knockout blow. I'm pleased."

Star Sapphire, Copperhead and the Prankster walked up to them, as the Shade continued watching a magic special on television. Grundy meanwhile, was gazing out of the window at the stars. "Ooooooooh, Grundy like pretty stars…"

Sapphire crossed her arms. "Well, I'm glad you're happy. Now if I could get paid please, I'd be a happy girl too."

Luthor shook his head. "Remember the bargain. You don't get paid until the entire League is in our hands. This isn't a pay-as-you-go operation. You'll get your money once this is all over and done."

Prankster pointed his finger at Luthor. "Look, Luthor, we worked hard to get Flash, we deserve at least a _seventh_ of our money now."

"This entire operation has cost me the entirety of my remaining fortune. You have no idea how much I've invested into this. The base, the holding pit, the transportation jet. You'll get your money – just have patience. It _is_ a virtue, you know."

The Prankster grumbled under his breath. Sapphire looked angered, but walked off. Copperhead nodded his head, appearing to be fine with the arrangement. Luthor walked over to Harley. "Besides," he said, "Harley did most of the work." Harley turned to look at Luthor and smiled.

"Thanks, that's swell Mr. L!" she said.

Luthor raised an eyebrow. "Well… yes… anyway." He looked back at the rest of the room. "However, the Flash will be the easiest to defeat. The other Leaguers will be far more difficult to capture, and I'm certain that they have by now learnt of their friend's defeat. We must be ready for them. Thanks to the scrambler I attacked Flash with during the battle, he will not be able to communicate with his teammates, so we still have the element of surprise on our side." He picked up a nearby mug and held it up. "Don't worry," he said, "soon, very soon, the Justice League will be gone forever!" He threw the mug at the wall, and the object shattered into pieces.

Joker clapped his hands. "_Ha_! No more Justice League! _HA HA HA HA_!"

Luthor looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Yes… exactly."

/

Diana looked around the meeting room. All of her fellow Justice Leaguers were there, apart from two. One was the reason they were meeting. The other was ALWAYS late.

Usually at meetings, Diana would look longingly at the entranceway, waiting for the Batman to arrive. She would occasionally look away and make smalltalk with her colleagues, but would soon return to gazing at the door, until the man she loved walked in and she could relax.

However, this time was different. They were missing a teammate. Flash had not been heard from for over four hours. Usually that was not a cause for concern, as only rarely would the entire League be together. But Flash's disappearance, coupled with J'onn's telepathic link allowing him to feel his distress, unnerved the entire team.

Superman walked over to the meeting table and cleared his throat. "If I could have everyone's attention?" The small conversation in the room ceased and all turned to the Man of Steel. "Thank you. I think we should begin this meeting as soon as possible. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can look for Flash."

Diana frowned. "What about Batman?" she asked, turning her head back to the door hoping for the Dark Knight to appear.

"We haven't got the time, Diana," replied Superman. "Flash is our top priority."

Diana sighed. As worried as she was for the Flash, she still found Batman's absence incredibly painful.

"Now," continued Superman, "I suggest we go to Keystone, see if we can find some clues. We saw on the news that he was attacked by Star Sapphire, Solomon Grundy and the Prankster. At least, that's what eyewitnesses reported, as news crews didn't get to the scene in time."

"I could use my ring to find some heat traces, maybe some footprint residue," suggested Green Lantern. "Also, witnesses claim that they heard a loud noise, like a jet engine, minutes after the altercation. Perhaps I can trace the trail left in the air, see if there was a plane nearby."

"Good thinking, John," said Superman. He turned to J'onn. "J'onn, can you reach Flash telepathically?"

"I have tried several times," replied the Martian. "Although I cannot find him, I am sure that he isn't in Keystone city. Infact, I do not think he is in any city at the moment; most likely, he is in some remote part of the country. If his captors do indeed have a jetplane, he could very well be anywhere in the country."

"What's his condition like, J'onn?" asked Hawkgirl.

"He is anxious. Nervous. He feels weak and not in control. He is almost certainly in a less-than desirable environment. I am sorry that I cannot find anything else. I shall continue to try and locate him."

Superman put a hand on J'onn's shoulder. "You're doing your best J'onn, we know that. Thanks."

Diana took another look at the entranceway; still no Batman. She was not worried for his safety or anything; she just wanted to be with him always, to never be away from him. She felt empty, incomplete, without him around.

Her thoughts were broken by Hawkgirl. "Diana?"

Diana spun her head around and blinked a couple of times, before registering that Hawkgirl was looking at her with a concerned look on her face. "Yes, Hawkgirl?" she eventually asked.

"You were very silent," answered the Thanagarian. "Is something wrong?"

"No… nothing at all," replied Diana. She took one last look at the doorway, then turned back to her teammates. "So," she finally said, "what's the plan?"

"We're going to go to Keystone," replied Superman. "See if we can find a clue that might help. However, Hawkgirl found something else that we need to consider. Hawkgirl?"

"We've tried to contact Flash through his communicator," said Hawkgirl. "However, we've been unable to reach him. Also, witnesses report a fourth attacker at the scene and that he attacked Flash with an electric shock. Perhaps that's what shorted out his communicator. It would help if we knew who the fourth attacker was, but so far, we don't have any…"

"Lex Luthor."

All heads turned to the entranceway. Batman stood there, cape wrapped around him. Diana felt her heart rise; just seeing him brought her immense joy. She gave a big smile, but it quickly fell when she saw Batman's face. Even for him, he looked grim.

"Luthor?" asked Superman.

Batman walked upto the conference table. "I ran a scan on the readings of Flash's communicator. Before it shut down, there was a huge foreign signal in the circuits; it was the electric shocker used to disable the communicator. I ran a diagnostic on the traces left of the scrambler; it had a unique energy signature, one developed, and ONLY developed, at LexCorp."

"The scumbag," Hawkgirl growled. "When I get my hands on him, radiation poisoning is gonna be the least of his worries…" She raised her mace as way of finishing the sentence.

Superman walked to Hawkgirl and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's all keep calm, people. We can't afford to rush in. We need a plan." Hawkgirl lowered her weapon and Superman continued. "If Batman's hunch is right…"

"It's not a hunch," interrupted Batman.

Superman paused for a moment before continuing. "OK, if Batman is right…"

"I am right."

Superman sighed. Finally he said, "_If_ Luthor is involved, it appears that he's reformed the Injustice Gang. I suggest we split into teams. I'll pay a little visit to their old hangout, see if I can find anything. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, you go to Keystone and find out what you can. J'onn, can you continue to try and reach Flash telepathically?"

"I shall do my best," said J'onn.

"I'm going to go check out LexCorp," Batman said. "See if I can find any trace of the technology Luthor used to disable Flash's communicator. I might even find some blueprints for his armour."

Diana stood up. She did not know what gave her the courage to say it, but she asked anyway. "Shall I come with you?"

Batman paused for a moment, then eventually said, "I work alone."

Diana felt a pang of sadness at Batman's rejection, but pressed on. "You never know what you'll find at Luthor's old base. You might need help."

Batman stared at her for a few moments. After what seemed to Diana to be an eternity, he said, "Very well. Let's go. The Batwing is in the hangerbay." The Dark Knight turned to leave.

Superman looked at the others. "OK, meeting adjourned. Let's go people - we've got a teammate to find."

As the meeting room emptied, Diana sprinted after Batman, her heart lighter now that she was with him.

/

Batman released the grasp on his line and let himself fall, his cape opening up behind him. He landed on the roof and crouched, letting his feet take his weight. As he stood up, he looked above and saw Diana glide overhead, before she floated down and landed next to him on the roof.

Diana walked to the edge of the roof and looked down. "So," she said, "this is the place?"

"Yes," Batman said. He went up to her and stood by her side. Across the street was the LexCorp building, recently closed down after Lex Luthor's arrest. The lights were on on some of the levels and there were several large trucks at the building's back entrance on the ground. Batman removed his binoculars from his utility belt and put them to his eyes. He zoomed in on the ground to see people taking large boxes, and even some crates, out of the building and putting them in the trucks. He then panned up and looked at the highest level, seeing more people packaging machinery and office equipment, then taking them to the large elevators, which where going to the ground floor, so the equipment could be loaded into the trucks.

"What's going on?" asked Diana.

"The building is being cleared. Without Luthor, LexCorp has gone bust. His arrest injured the company beyond repair. The building is being cleaned out, ready for the new owners of the building."

"Who are the new owners?"

Batman smiled. "Wayne Enterprises."

Diana looked at the smile on his face. "What is it?"

He looked at her and quickly dropped the smile. "Nothing," he replied.

He lowered his binoculars and looked at Diana again. He was momentarily caught by her beauty. She looked stunning; her hair blowing slightly in the breeze; her shoulders highlighted by the lights below and around them in the surrounding buildings; her face a picture of perfection. She had an aura of strength and confidence that radiated from her body, which Batman never failed to be awed by. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in this perfect moment, to embrace her and never let her go. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, how much he wanted to be with her, always.

But he could not. He looked away from her and faced the building across the street. He tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but could only think of her.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Diana.

Batman was silent, then realised she had said something and looked at her. "I'm sorry?"

Diana looked confused. "I said, 'what's the plan'?"

Batman turned away, trying to cover the embarrassment he felt. He sighed, before saying, "We're going to do a level-by-level search of the building. We start at the top and work our way down."

"But there are still some people on the top floor," said Diana.

"We're going to have to wait until they're gone. They don't have too much left to clear out, so we'll go in when they've left." Batman turned away and walked to the middle of the roof, leaving Diana by the edge.

After a few moments, Diana said, "So… I guess… we're going to be here for sometime."

Batman grunted.

There were a few minutes of silence, before Diana spoke again. "I'm… sorry about yesterday."

Batman stopped and stood still. "About what?" he asked.

"When I… made you uncomfortable in the kitchen. I didn't mean to do that."

"You don't have to apologise, Diana," said Batman. "I understand."

Her voice went soft as she spoke with uncertainness. "I just… I've been abit lonely lately. I have no home, no family. I've lost them. Ever since I was banished from Themyscira, I've felt empty."

Batman closed his eyes. The sound of her pained voice made his heart ache. He could not stand to have her in pain. He tried to say something comforting, but could not think of anything. After a moment, he slowly said, "You know… just because I didn't say anything at the time, it doesn't mean I wasn't outraged when you were banished from your island."

He cursed himself. That was pathetic.

"Thanks," she said weakly. "I'm sorry to bring this up. I just…" Her voice trailed. "I…" Everytime she paused, Batman ached even more. He wanted to do something to make her feel better, but he could not. He could not think of a thing. He wanted nothing more than to comfort the woman he loved, to make her feel happy, but he was too afraid to. Afraid of how she would react. Afraid of… rejection.

A minute went by, a minute of silence that seemed to last days. Finally, Batman said, "You have a home with the League, Diana. Friends that… care about you. I know it's not the same, but… our lives would be emptier without you, Diana."

He sighed. That was the best he could do. He felt like an idiot; the woman he adored had opened up to him, and he sounded like something out of a clichéd romantic drama.

There was silence again for a moment… then Batman heard slight sobbing. He quickly turned around to see Diana with her head in her hands, tears running down her face. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. His heart ached incredibly. Instead of trying to make her feel better, he had made things worse!

He strode up to her and looked directly at her. "Diana… I'm sorry." He saw her pained face and his feelings were engulfed in sorrow. He had never seen her like this and it hurt him beyond description.

"It's… it's OK," Diana stuttered. "I'm just… you don't know what… that means… to hear that. To… hear _you_ say that…"

Batman's held her shoulders. "It's true…" he whispered. He carefully took her hands in hers and removed them from her face, to see tears pouring down. He closed his eyes, trying to control his own pain. Eventually, he placed his hand under her chin and slowly lifted her face up. "Diana…" he said, "Please… you have no idea…" He stopped himself. He could not bring himself to say it. But the look in Diana's eyes pressed him on. "I… you… mean alot to me… us, Diana. You have no idea how much you mean to… us…"

Diana's eyes closed and she threw herself at Batman, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face on his shoulder. Taken aback, Batman froze, then eventually, slowly, put his arms around her and held her close. As she released her pain and cried more and more, Batman instinctively tightened the embrace, attempting to take away as much of her pain as he could.

The two stayed there, holding eachother, for a long, long time…

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Chapter 4

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

_3. Since I started posting this story three weeks ago, I tried to edit it somewhat when it came to emphasised words. I changed them from ALL CAPS to Italic. However, eagle-eyed readers might've spotted that I missed a fair few. So I've decided to leave the relevant words untouched (ie IN CAPS), as I originally wrote them. That'll show you that these were written... before I noticed the Italic option on the toolbar._

* * *

PART 4

Green Lantern and Hawkgirl flew over the welcoming banner into Keystone. Lantern noticed the banner's sentence, "Home of the Flash", and shook his head. How such a fool like Flash could be held in such regard grated on him.

He sighed. Flash was not that bad; his attitude just continually got on Lantern's nerves. He tired of his endless jokes, even in the most dire of situations. Very rarely had Lantern seen Flash in a serious mood.

Lantern looked at Hawkgirl flying beside him. He was momentarily distracted by her beauty. He had never met a woman quite like her before: strong, capable, fearless. Yet at the same time, caring and compassionate. She reminded him so much of himself… although she showed her caring side far more than he showed his.

His thoughts were broken by the sound of her voice. "We should be there in no time," she said. "The fracas occurred on the outskirts of the city."

"Right," Lantern said flatly. He tried to keep his voice as even as possible. He did not want to give Hawkgirl any idea of how he felt about her. Well, he did WANT her to know, but… he did not want to risk their friendship.

They reached the site of the earlier altercation. They landed in tandem in the middle of the area blocked off by police barrier tape. There was no one there; no police, no reporters, no civilians. They were alone, just the two of them.

Lantern powered his ring and produced a bright, extrasensory light and pointed to the ground. He saw the traces of footprints, which seemed to start from nowhere. "There's no starting point," he said.

Hawkgirl looked up. Lantern noticed her delicate neckline; it was one of the most beautiful he had ever seen. His eyes went down her neck, then over to her shoulders. The way the streetlamps highlighted her features was amazing. Lantern stood there, completely captivated by the woman beside him.

"Fly up and see if you can find a trace of a jetengine," Hawkgirl said. Lantern blinked, then broke from his stare and followed her gaze upto the stars.

"Right," he repeated, and flew up twenty-five feet in the air, shining his extrasensory beam around the surrounding area. A faint trace of exhaust appeared, with the trail going far into the distance. "A jet was definitely used today," Lantern said. "Wherever he is, Flash is nowhere near here. The trail goes on for miles."

"They must have flown the jet overhead, then dropped out and landed on the ground," said Hawkgirl. "That would explain the sudden start of footprints. But the jet must have had a real hightech stealth mechanism to escape radar."

Lantern floated back to the ground. "I wouldn't put it past Luthor," he said. "His company developed all kinds of technology. I think we should follow the trail to its end, see if it leads to the group's hideout."

They flew back up and began following the trail. They left the city and were soon in the countryside. As the minutes went by, Lantern's thoughts kept going back to how Hawkgirl looked in the street; she took his breath away everytime he saw her. He was beginning to wonder if it was more than just innocent attraction: he wondered if he was in love with her.

"So, what are your plans for the holiday season?"

Lantern darted his head to the side and looked blank. "Er… I don't know," he finally answered. "A few Lanterns are having a getogether on Oa, so I might go there."

Hawkgirl's face fell. "Oh… No family to be with?"

Lantern sighed. "No… I've pretty much left any normalcy of life behind, ever since I became a Green Lantern. I… have no family left to speak of. I haven't spoken to them for so long… they probably wouldn't want to spend time with me."

"You still have us," said Hawkgirl, as a faint smile crossed her face.

Lantern noticed the gesture and wondered for a moment what it meant. Did she say that because she cared about him? Could she have WANTED him to spend Christmas with the League? She had been on Earth long enough to know what the holiday was about; maybe she wanted to spend more time with him, other than as teammates…

Lantern shook his head. He was thinking like an idiot, just seeing intentions that were not there. He wanted to believe that she cared for him as much as he cared for her, but he shook such thoughts away. He could never be with anyone, let alone Hawkgirl; he had resigned himself to that fact years ago.

Suddenly, the two were rocked by a powerful explosion. They both fell to the ground, creating small craters in the soft fields. Lantern's ring had protected him from most of the impact, but Hawkgirl was lying motionless. Lantern groggily stood up and ran to her side. "Hawkgirl!" he screamed as she slowly opened her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Ooooohhh…." she groaned. The wind had been knocked out of her. Lantern was about to pick her up when he was attacked from behind with an energy blast.

"Arrrrrgggggh!" He took deep breaths and looked up to see the source of the attack.

Floating above was a small jet, almost certainly the same one producing the trail in the air, and probably the Injustice Gang's mode of transport. Lantern pondered getting Hawkgirl to safety, but another energy blast made him decide to take the offensive.

Protecting himself in a bubble powered by his ring, Lantern flew up and fired a beam of his own at the craft. Although rocked by the impact, the jet appeared to have advanced shielding, remaining in the air. Lantern and the craft fought for a few minutes, neither gaining an advantage. The jet was highly manoeuvrable and dodged most of Lantern's offence. He managed to avoid most of the craft's weaponry too, but the stress of the situation, coupled with his concern for Hawkgirl's condition, was starting to get to him.

Meanwhile, Hawkgirl slowly rose to her knees. She attempted to gather the strength to help Lantern, but before she could move, her head was attacked by a massive electrical discharge. When the assault was over, she held her head, not noticing the green-haired, smiling man crouch next to her. Before she knew what was happening, gas engulfed her breath, and she collapsed, unconscious, on the ground.

Lantern heard Hawkgirl's scream when she was hit by the electric shock and turned his head to see her being knocked out by the Joker. Momentarily distracted, he lowered his defences enough so that the jet behind him could fire a final blast.

The shot hit Lantern straight in the back, and he screamed in agony. He fell to the ground and, losing consciousness, his protective aura faded. The last thing he saw was a huge, grey-and-white form above him, then what looked like a fist speed towards him, dead-on…

Then everything went black.

/

Diana flicked through the files in the cupboard. She was only half paying attention to the task. Her mind kept going back to a couple of hours earlier.

They had held eachother on the roof for a long time. Diana had lost track of exactly how long; it felt like days, but it might very well have been just a few minutes. She had completely lost herself in the moment.

After they had released eachother from their embrace, Batman had lowered her to the raised wall around the edge of the roof and left her sitting there. He had walked to the side of the roof, keeping his eyes on the LexCorp building across the street. They had stayed in silence; not a word spoken between them. He had kept his eyes locked on the building, not looking at her once. Diana meanwhile, had calmed her breathing and stopped the tears. She took her time in composing herself, and Batman had given her that time.

Diana sighed. She felt like a fool, breaking down and crying like a little girl infront of the man she loved. But the stresses in her life had finally got the better of her: her banishment from Themyscira; her estranged relationship with her mother; her loneliness in Man's World; and her feelings for Batman.

But his words had helped. She had known Batman long enough to know that he never said anything just to make people feel better; he rarely showed compassion, so when he did, he meant it. She wanted to say to him just how much his words meant to her, but her feelings of ruining the moment had stopped her. Just as fear had always stopped her in the past.

She wondered what Batman was thinking as she sat there composing herself. His eyes had never left the building across the street. He had never said a word to her. She found the silence comforting and frustrating at the same time. She thought he was probably embarrassed over the situation; he was probably disappointed in her, to see her break down like that.

Diana sighed. She could not bear the thought of Batman being disappointed in her. She would not let him see her like that again. She had to be strong, and put her feelings for him aside. But she could not. She loved him totally and completely.

Diana's thoughts returned to the present at the sound of the door opening. Batman entered the room, looking frustrated. "Anything?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "We've been in every room in the top four floors; not so much as a memo." He hunched his shoulders. "We need to refine the search. Luthor wouldn't leave anything incriminating in the offices that were open to his employees. We need to find some secret areas, somewhere that's not on the building's plans. I think we should go down to the ground level, see what's there. There might be some…"

Batman was interrupted by a small beeping noise. Diana watched as he removed a small device from his utility belt. Holding it out, Batman looked at the small screen on the device, frowning deeply.

"What is it?" asked Diana.

"Green Lantern and Hawkgirl's communicators have just gone offline," Batman replied.

Her eyes widened. "You mean…?"

"I think so. I'll contact the others." He put his hand to his ear and contacted Superman.

While Batman conversed with the Man of Steel, Diana went out into the corridor and walked over to the elevator. She saw that there were two levels underground: the basement and sub-basement. She wondered if Luthor conducted all his less-than-reputable plans in one of those locations.

Batman joined her in the corridor and walked to her side. "Superman thinks we should regroup back at the Watchtower. He's on his way there now, and J'onn is there already. You go too; I want to stay here and continue searching for any plans or blueprints."

Diana's heart sank. She did not want to leave Batman. She wanted to stay with him in case he came to danger. She knew enough about Luthor to know that he probably had some dangerous security measures to protect his secrets. The thought of Batman coming to harm was more than she could bear.

"I want to stay here," she said. "If Luthor has any dangerous security measures, you'll need me."

Batman appeared insulted by that remark. Diana expected him to order her to leave, and leave him alone. "Wonder Woman…" he said.

"Save it," she said, holding up her hand. "I'm staying."

Batman glared at her for a few moments… then eventually, slowly, said, "Fine. Let's go."

Batman walked past her and pressed the 'down' button on the elevator. While they were waiting for the elevator to arrive, Batman said nothing. Diana found the silence unbearable. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the elevator arrived and the doors opened. He stepped in silently, and she followed him in. The doors closed and the elevator went down to the basement levels...

/

Lantern slowly opened his eyes. His vision took a few seconds to register what he was seeing. He was in a small room with plain, brown walls. He slowly looked around. There were no other features in the small enclosure. He looked up and noticed the roof - which was just above standing height - was made of glass. He could vaguely make out the area beyond and soon realised he was in a lowered pit IN a room.

He tried to stand, but failed and slumped back to the floor. He took a deep breath in, smelling unfamiliar odours. He looked at the ground and could see at the lower edges of the walls were vents: he quickly realised that some sort of gas was being pumped into the pit.

"Hey GL…"

Lantern blinked a few times at the surprise noise and turned his head. He saw the Flash and Hawkgirl, in similar weakened positions as him. He was dumbfounded: he must have really been weak to not notice two of his teammates, especially those two particular ones: the one who annoyed him the most, and the one he… loved.

"Flash…" he eventually said. "What's… going on here?"

"I don't know… I was in Keystone, then I was jumped by Luthor and his cronies. Next thing I know, I'm locked in here. I… have no idea how long I've been here…"

Lantern sighed. "You were missing for… five hours when Hawkgirl and I were attacked. We saw the reports of your attack on the news and went to investigate."

Flash gave a small smirk. "All the fuss over me…" He looked at the vents. "They've been pumping that stuff continuously since I've been here. It's some kind of sedative… not enough to knock us out, but enough to keep us feeling awful. And let me tell you… I feel pretty awful."

Lantern gave another sigh, before looking at his hand. His power ring was gone. He tried to will it to return to him, but he could not concentrate enough. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate as much as he could, but the gas was dulling his senses. He could not focus enough to power his ring.

He looked at Hawkgirl. She was on her knees, her hands supporting her weight on the walls. She looked like she was covering every inch of the enclosure with her eyes, trying to find weak spots. Lantern smiled; her determination was one of the things he admired most about her. He watched her as she scoured the pit, though he knew she would not be able to conduct her search as well as she normally could, with the debilitating gas around.

Lantern took another sigh. He realised they were trapped; they had to wait for the rest of the League to find them. He decided to talk to Flash - see if he could get any idea on who else could be involved with the Injustice Gang.

It could be a long wait for help.

/

The doors to the elevator opened and Batman stepped out, closely followed by Diana. They were on the sub-basement of the LexCorp building, the lowest level on both the building's plan and the elevator's route.

The basement was huge; at least four-hundred square metres. It was filled with crates, boxes and canisters. Batman walked around the complex and closely inspected each item. As he made his way around the basement, Diana stayed close to him. She wanted to be ready and near him if any danger occurred.

As she watched him conduct his search, she wondered why he had not said one word to her for over ten minutes. The elevator ride had taken several minutes alone, going down over three-hundred floors. During the journey, Batman had kept his eyesight dead straight, not looking at her once. Diana had thought about saying something to break the silence, but the Dark Knight's coldness had stopped her.

She sighed. She must have embarrassed him even more than she thought. The last half-an-hour had been unbearable, as Batman had all but ignored her during their search of the building. He had several times left her alone, going into a separate room. Diana felt miserable. The warmth and comfort he had given her on the rooftop had evaporated. Had she embarrassed him THAT much?

During the next fifteen minutes, she occasionally asked if there was anything she could do. Batman had only grunted answers, and one-or-two-words ones at that. He told her to just stay put and let him work.

Eventually, Batman met her in the centre of the complex and stood there. After a few moments, Diana asked, "Find anything?"

"No," Batman replied. "There are several things here – rare metals, computer parts, foreign materials, components of all kinds of stuff. But nothing illegal on their own, and the stock's no different from any other similar company. However, I'm sure some of the materials Luthor has used in his illegal activities are here… but like I said, nothing can be proved with the separate materials. We'd need something built FROM them - or in the stages of being built - that is intended for criminal use."

He removed a small metal hammer from his belt and went to one of the walls. He then began lightly tapping the wall, going all the way along it until he reached the end. He then repeated the action on the next wall.

"What are you doing?" asked Diana. Batman remained silent.

After a few minutes, Batman was nearing the end of the second wall, but then stopped. He tapped the same spot again, slightly harder, and smiled. Diana walked up to him. "What is it?"

He replaced his hammer in his belt, then removed an ultraviolet light. He shone it on the wall and Diana looked closely. The surface of the walls was covered with metal plates, but Diana could just make out a faint gap between the plating where Batman had highlighted. The gap was not more than two millimetres wide and was invisible to the naked eye unless you were looking really hard for it.

Batman put his light away and pressed his hand against the edge of the ten-feet-by-ten-feet wall plating. Nothing happened. He then looked at Diana. "Push there," he said, pointing the area he had touched.

She was puzzled, but did what he said. It was harder than she thought, but she soon managed to move the plate. It slid into the wall and spun slowly around. There, behind the section of wall, was a secret area.

Diana looked at Batman. "How did you…?"

"The sound behind that plate was hollow," he replied. He then stepped into the secret area, Diana following close behind.

They had entered a long corridor. The surrounding walls were metal, with fluorescent lights on the ceiling. At the other end of the corridor was a steel door. Batman strode towards it, with Diana never further than two feet away from him. They were now in unknown territory. She had to be close to him. She could not bear the thought of him coming to harm.

Reaching the door, Batman looked next to it to see a keypad on the wall. "The door is password protected," he said.

"We don't need it," Diana said, then moved infront of Batman, motioning him back with her hand. She grabbed the doorhandle and began forcefully turning it.

A massive burst of electricity suddenly coursed through her body. She screamed in agony and was thrown back a few feet, landing in a heap on the floor. Her body was smoking from the attack.

"Diana!" Batman screamed, running upto her and kneeling down. Diana slowly opened her eyes. She was still conscious, but weak from the shock. She spoke slowly, weakly.

"I'm… I'm OK," she murmured. "Just… give me a moment."

Batman had a pained look on his face, and Diana felt the warmth coming back. She could feel his arms holding her steady while she caught her breath. She tried to stand, but was still groggy, so she stayed on her hands and knees until her strength returned.

Batman's attention suddenly went away from her, at the sound of mechanisms moving. The two longside walls of the corridor quickly opened up, in quick succession, to reveal small rooms on either side. His eyes widened at the sight of several defensive droids and small cannons on wheels. The machines then slowly moved towards them, weapons at the ready.

Diana tried to move, but was still weak. She watched as Batman stood in a defensive posture near her, trying to provide a barrier between her and the machines. "Batman…" she said, "get out of here…"

He said nothing, just glaring at the machines, trying to keep an eye on all of them. Then, quick as a leopard, he leapt in the air, spun round and landing a few feet away from Diana. The machines, apparently attracted by movement, moved away from her and went towards the Dark Knight.

Diana could only watch as Batman dodged and cartwheeled around the machines, missing every energy blast and metal arm or weapon by inches. He sent off several batarangs, which exploded upon impact, destroying a few of the machines. Diana was captivated at his graceful movement; even in the most dire of situations, he always kept his cool. He did not look scared, merely determined as he manoeuvred around the deadly attackers. However, Diana knew that eventually, he would tire, and he would be wounded… or worse.

Batman kept on his toes, missing every attack. However, as he would destroy one machine, another would replace it. There seemed to be no end of them.

Eventually, he appeared to begin to tire, and let his guard down enough for one machine to hit him with a metal club. "Arrrrgh!" Batman grunted, and slammed against the wall, hard.

Another machine approached him, a buzzsaw hovering over his head. As the machine quickly lowered the spinning blade, Batman put his hand up to block it…

Then the machine's arm stopped.

Diana had managed to regain enough of her strength to lasso the machine's arm, mere inches from Batman's head. Then she pulled as hard as she could, sending the machine flying though the air, before it smashed into pieces on the wall.

For the next few minutes, Batman and Diana destroyed the remaining swarms of attacking machines. The chaos ended when Diana crushed the last one with a two-fisted hammer to the ground.

She rushed to Batman, who was breathing hard. He was tired, and she tried to hold him steady. He brushed her aside, however, with a forceful "I'm fine." He walked back to the steel door, but Diana noticed he was moving slower than usual; he was obviously in pain.

She went towards him. "Batman… maybe we should go back to the Watchtower."

"No," Batman said flatly. "I still haven't got what I came for."

Diana was about to respond, before a small mechanical sound caught her attention. Looking into the dark recesses of the openings that had housed the machines, she and Batman froze.

Suddenly, a final machine, with a blade attached to its top, wheeled towards them. Then, like lightning, the blade shot through the air, towards the two Leaguers.

"Diana, watch out!" shouted Batman, and pushed her away. The blade hit Batman and imbedded itself in his left shoulder. He screamed in agony as he was sent back. He stumbled for a few seconds, and then collapsed on the floor.

"Nooooooooo!" Diana shouted, and flew towards the machine, demolishing it with a single punch. She then floated to Batman and held his head. The floor was covered in blood; his wound had cut him - badly.

"Batman…" she whispered. Her eyes began to water. She held him, as his eyes rolled up, before closing. He lost consciousness in her arms ,and his breathing became ragged. "Batman, please wake up!" she screamed. "Batman!"

"BATMAN!"

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Chapter 5

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

* * *

PART 5

22nd December. Three days until Christmas.

Diana sat next to the bed, hearing the beeping of the heart monitor a few feet away. She stared blankly at the comatose man lying on the bed. His left shoulder was heavily bandaged with blood staining both the bandages and the sheets.

Diana looked at the Batman, as numerous thoughts went through her head. Thoughts of loneliness, thoughts of regret, thoughts of guilt, thoughts of anger. Her mind went back to the previous night.

After Batman had been severely injured at the LexCorp building, she had been frantic. She contacted Superman and was practically hysterical as she ordered the Man of Steel to send the Javalin-7 to their coordinates immediately. As she had waited for Superman and J'onn J'onzz to arrive, time had appeared to move frustratingly slowly. Batman was bleeding profusely, so she had torn over a third of his cape off during the wait and wrapped it around his wound, attempting to stop the bloodflow.

Eventually, the Javelin had arrived. Diana remembered snapping at Superman for taking so long; she later felt regret when she learnt that it had only taken the Kryptonian and the Martian twenty minutes to reach them. But to Diana, it had been an eternity.

An eternity of watching the man she loved with all her heart bleeding, quite possibly, to death. She remembered holding Batman, caressing his face, tears flowing down hers. She had been begging for him to wake up, to move, to speak. But he had just lied there, unmoving. It was one of – if not the – most painful experiences in Diana's life.

The thought of losing him was more than she could bear. She remembered breaking down, for the second time that night, in a fit of tears. As her crying became more intense, she had held Batman as close as she could and lowered herself to him, face buried in his chest, her hair falling onto him.

When Superman and J'onn had arrived, Diana had been too worried to hide her tears. She carried the Dark Knight into the craft and stayed with him the entire journey back to the Watchtower. Upon reaching the satellite, she had carried him to the medbay and stayed with him all through the night, not getting any sleep - just sitting there with him, time as irrelevant as his bloodstains on her body.

And she stayed with him now, as motionless as she had been all night. Morning had arrived, yet she had not noticed. Her eyes never left him, and she was praying to every Goddess she knew of that he would survive. Diana knew a shoulder injury was not THAT serious, comparatively speaking, but Batman had lost a tremendous amount of blood. The bleeding had only stopped a couple of hours ago. As strong a man as the Dark Knight was, she feared not even he would survive from such an injury.

"Diana."

She darted her head up at the sound of the voice. J'onn was standing at the doorway, his face solemn. She sighed deeply, before eventually replying. "Yes, J'onn?"

J'onn walked into the medbay. "You should get some rest. You've been here all night."

Diana shook her head. "No, I want to stay here. I want to be here if… when… he wakes up." She returned her gaze to Batman, and moved her head a few inches closer to his body.

J'onn went up to the bedside. "He lost a vast amount of blood. He'll… almost certainly survive, but it will be sometime before he is back to peak strength." He looked at Diana. "You really should rest. I will alert you the instant he wakes."

Diana looked sternly at the Martian, her eyes watering up again. "No," she simply said.

J'onn put a hand on her shoulder. "Diana… I know how much he means to you. He means alot to all of us. But we have to keep our emotions incheck. We can't afford to lose ourselves in dire moments. Believe me, I know."

She blinked a few times, trying to keep the tears back. "J'onn, please… don't try and make me go. I won't leave him."

J'onn looked directly at her. "Diana… I know how you feel about him. Please don't take offence, but your mind is so clear when it comes to Batman that I can read you, as Humans say, like a book. I understand, really I do. I know what it's like to lose loved ones." He was silent for a few moments. Eventually he continued. "Please, Diana, get some rest. I promise I'll contact you if anything happens."

Diana could not fight anymore, and the tears ran down her face. Her breathing became forced, uneven, and her nose sniffed. She let out a sob and her head fell a few inches. "J'onn… I don't know what I'll do… if he…" she trailed off, as the tears poured down her face silently.

"I know," J'onn whispered, a pained look crossing his face.

"I can't leave him…" she gasped. "I won't. Don't try and make me."

J'onn removed his hand from her shoulder and straightened up. Finally, he said, "Very well. But you should at least eat. I shall get you something from the kitchen."

Diana was silent. J'onn walked out of the medbay, turning back at the doorway. "He'll make it, Diana. You have to believe that." He then left the room.

Diana sat there, still, then slowly, delicately, took Batman's hand and held it in her own. Holding it firmly, she brought it to her face and gently kissed the glove material.

"I love you."

/

"DIANA!"

Batman shot up in bed - and suddenly felt an intense stab of pain in his shoulder. "Arrrrrrrrrrggggh!" His face creased as he fell back onto the bed, in agony and confusion.

He heard a voice saying his name. "Batman! Oh Hera!" The voice was laced with concern and worry. As his eyesight focused on his surroundings, he could see Diana's face above him, looking down.

He was mesmerised by her beauty; she quite literally took his breath away everytime he saw her. But as he looked at her, he saw that she had bags under her eyes, heavy and red. "Diana…" he whispered. "You've… been crying…"

Diana was silent for a moment; she seemed confused, unsure of what to say. "I…" she began.

Then Batman heard the door open, and he looked over and saw Superman and J'onn entering the room. "Batman, you're awake!" Superman said. They walked over to his bed and looked down at him. Their eyes unnerved him. "How do you feel?" asked the Man of Steel.

Batman looked around him at his teammates. They all had expectant expressions on their faces, but Diana's was the one he was concerned about. What could have happened to make her so sad? If something had made her upset enough to cry, he wanted to know about it. "What happened?" he asked.

"You were injured at LexCorp," replied Superman. "We brought you back here. You were unconscious for several hours. For a while, we didn't think you'd make it."

Batman turned to Diana. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

Diana took a moment to compose herself, then replied, "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I.. we were so worried." She cleared her throat; it hurt Batman more than any physical pain to see Diana in this state. He wanted to hold her and comfort her, but he was too weak to even sit up. He saw the blood – his blood – on her clothes and skin, and he closed his eyes. How could he have been so stupid? What could have made him agree to let her go with him? His injury was nothing compared to her emotional distress – it hurt him incredibly to see her in pain.

He decided to take his mind off of her and looked away, turning his head to Superman and J'onn. "What's the current situation?"

The Kryptonian looked at the Martian, then said, "You should get some rest, Batman. We can talk after you've recovered some more."

Batman winced. They were treating him like a child; he could not stand that. Just because he was a "normal" Human being, he did not have to be treated like an invalid everytime he got hurt. "Tell me now," he growled.

Superman sighed. "We haven't heard anything from Green Lantern or Hawkgirl since we got your last message. J'onn and I were about to go down to their last whereabouts and see what we could find."

"OK, let's go." Batman attempted to sit up, but a jolt of pain stabbed his shoulder and he groaned. He saw Diana put her arms around him, attempting to steady him. What was she doing? Was she trying to comfort him? No, that could not be it. He was just a colleague to her… nothing more.

"You should not go out in your condition," said J'onn. "You lost alot of blood; it would be unwise for you to overexert yourself needlessly."

"It's not needlessly," Batman said, "three of our teammates are missing. And besides, are you saying I'm not upto it?" He sounded angrier than he really was, but he hated being patronised.

"It's not that, Batman," said Superman. "But you took a nasty injury. You'd be no use to us in your current state."

Batman looked at his left shoulder and saw the heavy bandage around it, stained with dry blood. "I've gone out with worse," he said.

"Doesn't make it sensible," said Superman. "You're staying here."

The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel stared at eachother for a few moments. The tension in the air was palpable. "Do you really think you could stop me?" Batman growled.

Superman was about to respond, but Diana interrupted. She lowered her pained face to Batman and, with her eyes watering up, whispered, "Batman… please…"

Batman was silent for a while. As much as he hated being coddled, he hated seeing Diana in pain more. Eventually, he said, flatly, "Fine. Tell me as soon as anything happens."

Superman looked at him and simply said, "Right." He turned to leave. "Come on, J'onn - let's find out missing people."

J'onn turned to Diana. "Diana, you should get some rest too. Now that Batman is awake, I suggest you get some sleep yourself."

Batman was shocked. "You've… not had any sleep?" he asked, looking at Diana.

She looked down, seemingly embarrassed. "No… I… that is… I wanted to stay here… for you to wake up. I…" The words seemed to come difficultly. "I… felt responsible."

Batman was dumbfounded. How on Earth could she feel responsible for his injury? He would not allow that. "Wonder Woman, you have no reason to feel responsible. I knew what I was doing. It comes with the job."

Diana let out a sob. Batman did not know what to say. Had his injury really upset her that much? The idea seemed unfathomable. Batman knew that if SHE had been injured, it would have been unbearable for him, but he was in love with her. She was not in love with him…

Silence fell over the room for a minute, before Diana eventually said, "I'll… go get something from the kitchen. Batman… what would you like?"

He just stared at her. "Anything. I'm not fussed."

Diana took one last longing look at him, then slowly left the room.

J'onn watched her go, almost as if he was making sure she left. He then looked at Batman. "Superman and I will keep you abreast of our findings," he said.

"Thank you, J'onn."

J'onn turned and left the room.

Alone, Batman held his head and closed his eyes. His thoughts were a mess, but he had to sort them. He had a job to do. He had to get past his injury and help save his colleagues.

He had to forget the look on Diana's face…

It was going to take some time.

/

Batman's thoughts were running a mile a minute. He had several things to ponder, from Lex Luthor and company's methodical kidnapping of the Justice Leaguers, one by one, to his injured left shoulder, to his loneliness during the Christmas holiday… to his feelings for Diana.

He had to concentrate on the most urgent situation: the missing Leaguers. He was certain Luthor was behind the scheme, that he had reformed the Injustice Gang. The day before, he had contacted Blackgate Prison and tried to see if the Ultra-Humanite had any information. But the founding Gang member knew nothing.

Batman wondered who else could be involved with the plot. He was sure Luthor was involved, and based on eyewitness reports it was pretty much given that the Prankster, Solomon Grundy and Star Sapphire were embroiled too. He remembered hearing that the "hostage" who was involved in the Flash's capture actually helped defeat him. Whoever she was, she must be with the Gang as well.

He remembered the last time they faced the Injustice Gang. His brashness had almost cost him, and his teammates' lives. But he had outwitted the villains; played them against eachother, until they were ready to be defeated. If it were not for his injury, he would consider letting himself be captured and trying the same trick again. But he could not. As much as he hated to admit it, he was bedridden for the timebeing.

His thoughts again went to Diana. Why had she stayed with him? Why had she insisted on going with him? He loved being with her – he wanted to always be with her – but he had found the situation on the rooftop difficult. He gave Diana warmth and compassion, but it had been immensely hard to do so. That was why, for the remainder of the night, he had withdrawn into his dark barriers; he did not want to feel again. He did not want to allow her to get too close to him. People who did ended up hurt… or worse.

"How are you feeling?"

Batman looked up and saw Superman walking into the medbay. He sighed; the boyscout could not keep his nose out of things. "I'm fine," the Dark Knight gruffly answered. "I don't need to be here. I should be out there, helping. Keeping me here is ridiculous."

"You always were stubborn," Superman said, smiling. Batman glared at him, and the smile fell. "You need to let other people help you, Bruce."

"I don't want any help," Batman snapped. He clenched his teeth and calmed his breathing. He hated being treated like a child.

Superman sighed. He walked towards a window and stared out at Earth below. Eventually he said, "So, how are things? What are you plans for the holiday?"

Batman looked blankly at him. Was that a joke? "Same as always. Dick and Barbara have gone away together. Alfred has taken Tim to England to visit some old friends of his. How about you, Clark?"

Superman darted his head and looked at him sternly. "Don't call me 'Clark'," he said forcefully.

Batman was taken aback. He did not expect that. He raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong? Want to talk about it?"

Superman was silent.

"You like talking about things… Clark."

Superman looked at him before grumbling. "For crying out loud Bruce, why do you have to push people away? We're a family! Stop being so stubborn and talk to us like you're a member of the team for a change!"

"A family?" Batman asked. "You're not exactly in a position to talk about family anymore."

Superman gave him a look rivalled Batman's own threatening glares. "What's… THAT supposed to mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Clark," said Batman. "You've abandoned your family and friends ever since Darkseid. You've turned your back on everyone you cared about."

"Shut up."

"You think giving up being Clark Kent, mildmannered Human being, will make you a more effective Superman? You're a fool. It was your Humanity that defined you, Clark."

"You'd know all about that," spat out Superman.

Batman had never seen Superman like that, but he knew he was right. "I've had Lois call me a couple of times, wanting to know where you were. She's worried, Clark. She had no idea where her roving reporter partner has gone."

Superman looked solemn, keeping his gaze on the floor. Finally, after a minute, he slowly said, "You have no idea what I went through, Bruce. Darkseid destroyed my reputation, the world's trust in me. I have to regain it. That's more important than anything. I was… willing to make any sacrifice. My duty demands it. I have to do whatever it takes to regain what I lost. You wouldn't understand. You've never cared what people thought of you." He looked directly at Batman. "But it defines my job, Bruce, to have TRUST. To have trust in people, and have people trust in me. Nothing is more important than that." He looked down again, closing his eyes. "Nothing."

Batman stared at him. As much as the Kryptonian annoyed him, he hated seeing him like this. Broken down. He had defeated Darkseid, yes, but in the end, the New God had won. He had destroyed Superman's will. He hurt him where it hurt the most: not with his loved ones, as would be Batman's own vulnerable spot, but in Humanity's belief in him. He had destroyed the Man of Steel, perhaps beyond repair.

No. There was still one avenue that Batman could reach. He looked at Superman, then, flatly, said, "What about your parents?"

Superman darted his head to him and stared for a moment. Eventually, he said "Don't go there, Bruce."

"Don't tell me you don't want to see them, Clark. I'm sure they miss you terribly."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Superman began walking out of the medbay, but stopped at the exit as Batman spoke again.

"I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about."

Superman turned back. "I'm… sorry Bruce. I didn't mean…"

Batman calmed his voice, speaking in a more soft, compassionate tone. It was not a concerted effort: it came automatically. "Clark… don't forget your parents. Whatever you do… just… don't."

Superman stood still at the doorway, then quietly said, "I'll… think about it." He then left the room.

Batman looked at the doorway. He really hoped the Man of Steel took his advice.

Someone deserved a happy Christmas.

/

Diana sat in the kitchen looking at her milkshake. She had prepared it over half-an-hour ago, yet she had still to take a single sip. All she could think about was Batman and his condition.

She had been away from his bedside for nearly an hour, and every moment had been almost unbearable. She hated being away from him at the best of times; but now, in his vulnerable state, she wanted to be with him more than ever. She felt like she was so close to losing him, she would have done anything to save him.

She closed her eyes and sighed. At one point, she had actually said, out loud, how she felt about him. She had said that she loved him. She wondered if she could have said that had he been conscious at the time. Probably not.

But what was she so afraid of? Would it really be that bad if he knew how she felt about him? If he knew that she was completely in love with him, he might open up more, let her into his life. And she wanted that more than anything. She had only known him for about a year, but she already knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

But of course, if she told him how she felt, he could very easily withdraw evenmore. He could distance himself from her, from the entire League. He could even end his association with the team. From what Diana had heard, Batman was distant with his closest allies anyway. He had never once mentioned his partners to any of the Leaguers in his time with the team. Superman knew him better than anyone, yet even he did not know that much.

She rested her head in her hands. It was a hopeless situation. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but she feared she would lose him completely. Besides, there was no way he felt the same way about her. He thought of her as a colleague, nothing more.

Diana looked up and saw J'onn standing in the doorway. "How is he?" she asked.

J'onn walked upto the table and sat down. "He is recovering swiftly. According to Superman, his… temperament is normal. He should be fine in a couple of weeks. How are you feeling?"

Diana was silent for a moment, then eventually said, "I don't know, J'onn. I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. I…" she stopped herself. She could not find the words. "I… don't know if I can continue like this."

"What do you mean?" asked J'onn.

"I love him, J'onn," replied Diana sternly. "You know that. I love him… with… all my heart. But I'm too… afraid. I could ruin what I already have with him." She closed her eyes, trying to compose herself.

J'onn was quiet for a moment, then finally said, "Diana, if I may be frank… you can't go on like this. You need to resolve this situation, one way or another. It pains me to see you like this."

She stared blankly at her milkshake. "But what can I do? I could lose everything. I've already lost so much…"

The Martian smiled warmly. "I'm sure you will think of something," he said. "You are strong, Diana. Whatever happens, you'll survive." He stood up. "Just think about what's important to you… and go from there."

Diana gave a faint smile. "Thank you J'onn… I will." J'onn nodded, then turned and left.

Diana looked back down at her milkshake, and quickly drank it. She then stood up and left the kitchen, towards the medbay.

She knew what she had to do.

TO BE CONTINUED


	6. Chapter 6

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

* * *

PART 6

The elevator doors opened and Diana, Superman and J'onn stepped into the sub-basement. "It's on the other side, on that far wall," Diana said, then led her teammates to the secret passageway that she and Batman had found the night before.

"Hang on," Diana said, then pushed against the wall plating and, like before, it rolled in and the secret corridor was revealed. Diana stepped through the opening, Superman and J'onn following close behind. They walked down the corridor and arrived at the locked door that needed password clearance for entry.

"Remember what I told you," said Diana, "the door is electrified. We'll have to find some way to get in, without activating the security drones."

"I can get in," said J'onn as he phased his body. He walked through the wall at the side of the door and disappeared.

Superman activated his ear communicator. "J'onn, do you copy?"

A moment of silence passed, before a loud slam could be heard on the other side of the wall. Then the sound of a heavy lock turning occurred, before the doorway slowly opened. J'onn stood in the doorway. "Apparently you don't need a password to get OUT of this room."

Diana and Superman entered the secret room and looked around. There was machinery everywhere, and Diana knew this was what Batman was after. The machines looked incredibly hightech, almost otherworldly.

The three walked around the lab, investigating each item. "This alone could have put Luthor away for years," Superman commentated. "Look at this stuff: weapons, lasers, armour, acids. Also, everything boxed or packaged are in lead containers. Obviously, if I ever found this place, Luthor didn't want me to know what was here."

"We should be careful," said J'onn. "If everything here is hidden in lead containers, there could be kryptonite lying around somewhere, and we wouldn't know without opening things."

"Let's just find what Batman wanted and get out of here," Diana said. "I didn't waste all afternoon briefing you on this place just so you could sightsee."

Superman and J'onn stared at her. Diana immediately felt remorse. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to snap like that. I… guess I'm just worried about… the others."

Superman smiled. "It's OK, Diana. You're right. We should get what we came for and leave. And I'll call the authorities about this on the way back at the Watchtower."

Diana tried to relax, but she could not. All she could think about was Batman and how hurt he was. She wanted to be with him, to help him, but she was needed here. She had to be here in case trouble happened…

Not that she had been much help to Batman…

As she stared into thin air, she noticed a corner of a piece of paper peeking out from behind a filing cabinet. She walked over to it and pulled it out. As she looked at the paper, she smiled. "I think I've found something."

Superman and J'onn walked over to her. Diana's smile widened. "I think these are the blueprints for Luthor's armoured suit. There are schematics, defensive capabilities, material descriptions. Not very detailed, but I'm sure Batman could think of something with these papers."

"Good work, Diana," Superman said. "I think we should leave. We've got what we came for."

Diana's heart rose slightly. She wanted nothing more to get out of the building; it just kept reminding her of how she had failed to protect the man she loved, and that she was not with him now, helping him recuperate.

They left the secret lab and returned to the long corridor. As they walked back to the entranceway to the public sub-basement, Diana eyed the walls, waiting for them to spring open and for the defensive machines to appear.

They returned to the sub-basement and walked towards the elevator. Diana began to relax; they had done it. They had safely entered the secret lab, found what they needed and left, all without incident. She smiled. She looked forward to telling Batman how she had succeeded in getting what he needed.

As they entered the elevator, she thought about how impressed Batman would be. She watched as Superman pressed the elevator button. "We'll go to the ground floor, then just walk out," the Kryptonian said.

Suddenly, the elevator shot up, at an incredible speed. The three Leaguers were rocked as the inertia pulled them to the floor. Superman pressed repeatedly at the emergency stop button, but the elevator continued speeding up.

Once it reached the top floor, the elevator came to a sudden stop. Then, immediately, it sped down, even faster than before. As it fell down the three-hundred-plus floors, the elevator got faster and faster.

The three of them tried to smash their way out, but the elevator was specially strengthened. "Luthor must have prepared this especially for me!" Superman shouted over the noise of the moving elevator.

"But not against me," J'onn stated, and he again phased his body. He then flew up and slipped through the roof of the elevator. After a few seconds, the elevator began to slow down. After a few tense moments, the elevator slowed down gradually, until it stopped.

As Superman and Diana regained their breaths, J'onn phased back into the elevator, looking a bit weak. "What did you do?" asked Diana.

"I broke off the cables supporting the elevator and pulled them as hard as I could. I believe I only just did it. I think we're on the first floor."

"Well done, J'onn," Superman said. "OK, let's get out of here before anything else happens."

They prised the elevator doors open and stepped onto the first floor. They then left the building altogether through a window and, as they flew back to the Watchtower, Diana could not wait to see Batman again. She needed to know that he was alright while they were gone.

They could not get back to the Watchtower quick enough.

/

Batman studied the paperwork infront of him intently, covering every detail. They were the blueprints Diana, Superman and J'onn had brought him from LexCorp. He composed every word to memory and, as he did so, began formulating a plan.

After two hours of studying the schematics, he decided he had a good enough plan to combat the Injustice Gang, and left the room he was working in. He walked through the Watchtower eventually reaching the gymnasium. He decided to get back in shape and lift some weights.

He wondered if it was wise to do so; his shoulder was still far from healed. But he had to do something. He had felt like an invalid all day; cooped up in the medbay. He needed to unwind – and weight training always helped him to do so.

Batman entered the gym and walked over to the weights. They were all neatly stacked away on their rack. Unlike his teammates, he always put away his equipment once he was finished.

He thought about which weight to begin with. Usually he would begin with one of the heaviest, but he decided to start with a fairly lightweight one and also to begin with just one arm. He picked up a five-pound weight in his right hand and began lifting it, then lowering it, then lifting it again. He continued to do so for over an hour, going a pound heavier every few minutes.

During the training, Batman's thoughts turned back to Diana. He tried to think about other things, but it was no use: he could not help thinking about her. She had been so happy in bringing him the paperwork he needed, and he WAS impressed. But he was also angry at her going to unnecessary risk. After what happened the night before, he did not like the thought of her returning there, even if she was accompanied by a Kryptonian and a Martian.

He remembered what she had said earlier that day, how she felt responsible for his injury. He hated the idea of her thinking that. He knew what he was doing; for him, it was no risk at all. He would gladly sacrifice himself for Diana without a second thought. The idea of her coming to harm made his heart ache.

He wondered what would happen if Diana knew how he felt about her. She would probably be repulsed; he knew she did not hate him, but he always tried to keep the persona of a cold, unfeeling person. If he confessed his love for her, how would she react? Would she be scared, or would she just brush him off? She probably thought of him as "just a man", and therefore below her notice in anything other than a working relationship. He would only be embarrassed.

Eventually, he decided to try lifting weights with his left hand. He picked up a five-pound weight… and immediately felt a jolt of pain in his shoulder. He grimaced as he felt the weight pull down on the injured muscles, and sighed at the pain. Determined, he kept hold of the weight and tried to lift it. He raised it a couple of inches and the pain increased. But he refused to give in. Grinding his teeth, he raised his left arm higher and higher, until the weight was at shoulder length.

Batman tried to lower the weight slowly, but failed and lowered his left arm faster that he wanted, the sudden yank pulling his muscles evenmore. He closed his eyes at the pain, but he decided to continue. He was going to do this. He WAS going to do this.

He repeated the lifting, but the pain got worse and worse. His face creased as the weight came higher and higher, until it was again at shoulder height. He then tried rising it even further, and pushed the weight up with all his strength.

The weight was about two inches over his head, when it became too much. A sudden stab of intense pain went through his shoulder and he screamed out. "ARRRRRRGH!" He then let go of the weight, and it dropped onto the floor with a thud. His knees went out from under him and he collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

He tried to slow his breathing as the pain continued, and closed his eyes.

He felt like a fool.

A totally useless fool.

/

"BATMAN!"

Diana froze at the doorway. There, a few yards away from her, lay the man she loved, on the floor. Unmoving. She stood still at the doorway, unable to accept what she saw. But it was happening – he was lying on the ground, not moving a muscle.

She ran into the gymnasium, her eyes watering up. "Batman!" She reached his side and knelt down next to him. She was unsure what to do – she did not want to move him, incase she hurt him even more. But she had to do something.

"Diana…" The name was spoken in nothing more than a whisper, and it sounded pained. She looked at Batman's face and saw him raise his head. His face was creased in pain; she ached every time he flinched.

"Oh, Batman…" she said, "What happened?"

He was silent, and appeared abit embarrassed. Eventually he replied, "I guess… I did too much… too soon." He looked at the weight that had rolled infront of him when he dropped it, Diana following his gaze.

She sighed. "J'onn said you shouldn't overexert yourself. It will be a few weeks before you're up to full strength."

"I can't wait that long, Diana," Batman said gruffly. "Will you help me up?"

She held him steady as Batman slowly rose to his feet. She then led him to a bench and they both sat down. Diana watched as the Dark Knight calmed his breathing; his fall, coupled with the pain of his shoulder, had obviously knocked the wind out of him.

"You shouldn't push yourself," she said. "Please, just relax. Take your time."

Batman kept his gaze away from her. Eventually he said, "Will you pass me the weight, please?"

Diana blinked. Surely he did not want to continue training… "I'm not sure you…"

"Diana, will you pass me the weight, please?"

She stared at him, then slowly stood up and went over to the weight. She picked it up and went back to the bench. Maybe he just wanted to put it away…

Batman reached out with his left hand to take the weight, and he flinched again. Diana instead put the weight in his right hand. However, by the time she sat down again, she noticed he had quickly passed it to his left hand.

She watched as he gripped the weight firmly, then began lifting it slowly. His face creased and he gritted his teeth. As he raised the weight higher and higher, his face became more pained.

Diana could not take anymore. "Give me that!" she snapped, and snatched the weight from his hand. She then threw it onto the ground. "Great Hera, Batman, why do you have to be so stubborn?"

He looked at her. "I'm not stubborn. I just have to be in the best shape I can be in. I have to be."

Diana's emotions got the better of her and her head sunk, her hair falling down her face. She let out a sob. Batman looked dumbfounded. "Diana…?"

She was silent for a few moments, then slowly said, "Batman… don't you have any idea how it hurts me to see you like this?"

He stared at her. "W…what? What… do you mean?"

Diana did not know how she could say it. But she could not hide her feelings anymore. Her emotions had finally risen up and burst out. She was unable to stop the tears anymore.

She lifted her head and stared at him, tears running down her face. Batman's own expression was one of total shock; he evidently was not expecting this.

Diana did not know what had come over her, but she could not fight it anymore.

Slowly, she moved her head closer and closer to him, and gently, delicately, brushed her lips against his.

She kept the contact for a few seconds, pushing ever so slightly against his mouth. Then she removed her lips from his, and looked at him.

His face was completely confused; his eyes were glazed, his mouth open. He was completely dumbstruck.

Diana closed her eyes. She lowered her head, feeling like a complete fool.

But then she felt something brush against her chin. She opened her eyes as Batman lifted her head back up. He stared into her eyes… and smiled.

They moved their heads closer to eachother again… and kissed passionately. Batman moved his hand to her cheek, caressing it. Diana placed her hand on his chest, moving closer to him. Their lips pressed deeply together. They had completely lost themselves in the moment.

The kiss lasted ten seconds, ending when Batman suddenly broke it. He looked down, and Diana tried to catch her breath. She was exhilarated and confused at the same time. She had finally shown her feelings, and he had returned them. But why had he stopped it?

She looked at him, confused. Batman was looking down, his eyes closed.

"No."

Diana blinked. Still catching her breath, she breathed, "What?"

He shook his head, still looking down. "No."

He stood up and slowly walked away. Diana just stared back at him.

As he neared the entranceway, Diana had tears pouring down her face. "Batman… please…"

He stopped at the doorway for a second… then continued and left the room.

Diana stood up, but immediately, weakly fell to her knees. "Please…" she whispered. "I love you… I need you…"

She buried her face in her hands and cried uncontrollably.

"I love you…"

TO BE CONTINUED


	7. Chapter 7

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

* * *

PART 7

Lex Luthor heard the door to his private room opening and turned around to see the Joker at the doorway. Rolling his eyes, Luthor said, "What do you want?"

Joker danced into the room as he smelled his flower on his lapel. "Lexy, the guys and I were just wondering…" his tone immediately changed to a more sinister one. "What are we still doing here? I thought we were going to get all the Justice League. Where's the complete set?"

Luthor stood up. "This is a delicate plan," he said. "The other Leaguers will be on their toes now. They've gone into hiding. The only sightings there have been in the past two days are a Batwing flight and a Javelin flight, and even they were fleeting. What I want to know is where they've gone…"

"Oh good, for a moment I thought you didn't care."

Luthor winced, but let it go. "Don't worry, we'll get them. I have something in mind that will get all the remaining heroes in our hands. Then… my revenge will be complete."

Joker sighed. "Well, as long as you have it all under control. I mean…" Joker began mock sobbing. "Here I am… your righthand man… your buddy… and I… I'm not allowed in on the plan. BOO HOO!"

Luthor smacked his head. "Oh FINE. I have my 'secret weapon' waiting in the hallway. Come on, I'll show you…"

Joker hopped on the spot. "Ohhh Lexy, you DO care! And here I thought you didn't trust me!"

Luthor walked towards the exit and left the room, with Joker following. They soon reached another doorway and Luthor opened it. He then looked expectantly at Joker.

The Clown Prince of Crime looked into the doorway and saw the "secret weapon". He turned to Luthor as he pointed into the room. "You gotta be kiddin' me."

/

Batman stared out of his bedroom window, his thoughts a shambles. He could not believe what had just happened. He blinked, and his thoughts went back to what had occurred earlier in the gymnasium. He was amazed. He had been a fool. He had been blind for all this time. He had been…

As blind as a bat.

He shook his head, astonished that he had not seen it before. He thought he was good at reading people; he had trained since he was a boy, for God's sake. How could he not have seen how Diana felt about him?

He had been in love with her for months; almost since the moment he met her. And she had the same feelings for him. After what had happened in the gym, it did not take the world's greatest detective to see how she felt about him. But how could he have not seen it? How?

He closed his eyes. It was what he had dreamed about. He was completely in love with her; how could he not be? But… he could not allow himself to be with her. As much as he wanted to be, he could not allow himself to do so.

Every woman he ever got close to got hurt… or worse.

Batman sighed. As much as he wanted to be with Diana for the rest of his life, he could not bear the thought of her life being in evenmore danger - she was in enough already. He had countless enemies; they would undoubtedly try and get to him, through her. They would kidnap her. They would hurt her…

He could not allow that.

He had had to leave the gym. If he had stayed… he would never have been able to let her go. And he had to. For her own safety. He could never have happiness. His life was one of loneliness, of nightly torture. He did not want anyone to be hurt by his life, by his darkness. He could not risk her being hurt by being with him.

His thoughts broke as he heard a knock at his door. He quickly turned and waited a few moments. Eventually, a voice from the other side of the door said, "Batman, are you there?"

It was J'onn. Batman walked across his room and went to the door. Leaving it closed, he said, "What is it, J'onn?"

"Can I come in?"

"This isn't a good time."

"Please, Batman. It's important."

Batman sighed. "Very well."

The door opened and J'onn stood in the doorway. "What is it?" Batman gruffly asked.

J'onn hesitated for a moment, then said, "Can we talk?" From the Martian's tone, Batman knew he wanted to talk to him in private. Silently, Batman walked back into the centre of his room, and J'onn entered. The door closed behind him.

"What is it?" Batman repeated.

John was silent for a few seconds. "I want to talk to you about Diana," he eventually replied.

Batman blinked. This he did not need. He stared at J'onn for a few seconds, then slowly, said, "Why?"

"I saw her a few minutes ago in the hallway," said J'onn, "she was very upset. The last time I saw her, she had gone to find you. You weren't in the medbay. I was wondering if you knew why she was upset."

Batman glared at J'onn for a moment. "How should I know?" he eventually said.

"Batman…" the Martian said quietly, "I know how… you feel about eachother."

The Dark Knight flinched. He should have known. J'onn was a telepath; there was no telling what he knew. "I'm disappointed, J'onn. I thought you respected your friends' privacies."

J'onn was taken aback. "I didn't need telepathy. Your thoughts are so clear about eachother, they screamed out at me. I couldn't help but notice."

Batman was shocked. Were Diana's feelings for him as strong as his for her? It seemed impossible…

"I'm sorry that I made you think I had invaded your privacy, Batman," J'onn continued. "I would never do that. But like I said, your thoughts are so clear when it comes to Diana…"

Batman lowered his head. "No… I'm sorry, J'onn. I shouldn't have judged you like that." He looked away. "You're… right, of course. I… I…" The words were difficult. "I love her." The last sentence was barely a whisper.

The room was silent. Eventually, J'onn said, "You should talk to eachother. Tell eachother how you feel. You can't go on like this."

"No," Batman said sternly. "Everyone I get close to gets hurt, J'onn. I won't allow her to get put in danger by being… with me. I won't allow it."

The room was silent again, before J'onn spoke. "Batman, she is strong. She can look after…"

"Call the others."

J'onn blinked. "Why?"

"We need to get our people back. Call the others into the meeting room. I have a plan."

"OK." J'onn turned to leave, but looked back. "But just think about…"

"J'onn."

J'onn sighed. He turned to leave and opened to the door. Before he could step out though, however, Batman spoke again.

"I'll… think about it."

/

23rd December. Two days until Christmas.

The Javalin-7 soured through the morning sky towards the area of country that was Green Lantern and Hawkgirl's last known whereabouts. Batman was piloting the aircraft, Superman was sitting next to him, and J'onn and Diana were in the rear seats.

Diana stared at the back of Batman's chair. They had been away from the Watchtower for over twenty minutes… and he had not said one word to her. During the team meeting the previous evening, he had not looked at her directly as he had explained his plan. He had also avoided her the entire night, staying in his room well before she, Superman and J'onn retired for the night.

Diana closed her eyes. How could she have done what she did in the training room? She was amazed that she had been able to let go; to forget the fear; to do what she had dreamed of doing for months. She loved the Batman with all her heart - and she had finally opened up and showed her feelings.

But what she feared would happen, did. Batman left. He had withdrawn himself, retreated into his dark barriers. He had avoided contact with her since then, and she found the rejection unbearable.

She sighed. This was the lowest she had ever felt. She had admitted her feelings to the man she loved, only to be spurned. There had been a moment, a fleeting moment, of unbelievable pleasure, but he had stopped the embrace, the togetherness. She could never be with him now. She had taken the risk, and the worst scenario had happened. She knew that she could never be with him. He did not WANT to be with her. And she found that more painful than anything.

She turned her head and saw J'onn next to her. He looked at her sadly. Although no words were spoken, she could tell what he was thinking. He felt her pain; he knew what she was feeling, and he understood. He, after all, had lost his loved ones centuries ago. And the pain was still with him.

But… she sensed more in J'onn's look. Understanding, yes, but also… regret. She could not put her finger on it, but it was almost as if… the Martian knew more about the situation than she did.

He must have talked with Batman, Diana thought. He must have told J'onn how disgusted he was. How she had… thrown herself at him. How embarrassed he felt. How disappointed. How…

A tear fell down her face. She let out a barely audible sob. Superman darted his head to her… she had forgotten about his superhearing. His face was one of confusion; J'onn must not have told him anything about what was going on.

At least the Martian was respectful of her privacy…

"Diana…" Superman said, "Is something wrong?"

She froze. She did not want to bring attention to herself. She felt the Man of Steel's questioning eyes on her. She looked at Batman's chair, but he had not moved. Hera, what must he think of her…?

"Nothing," Diana eventually said. "I…" her voice trailed.

J'onn spoke up. "I think Diana is just… tired. She hasn't had much rest for these past few days." He looked at her. "Diana?"

She smiled faintly. "Y… yes. I guess I'm just… a little tired. I'll be OK."

Superman looked at her, clearly not completely satisfied at his answer. But he let it go and turned back to the front of the craft.

Soon, they reached the country. Batman landed the Javelin and lowered the exit ramp. As he stood up, Diana noticed his face flinch. Flying the craft must have been painful on his shoulder.

They exited the ship and looked around. Batman turned to J'onn. "OK, J'onn, see if you can find anything."

"I will do my best," J'onn said, and his eyes glowed. A few minutes passed in silence as he tried to telepathically locate their teammates.

Eventually, his eyes returned to normal and he said, "I've found them. They are underground. A few miles from here. The strong psychic traces in this area have made my telepathy easier in finding them. I am certain the closer we get, the stronger the 'signal' will be."

"Good work, J'onn," said Superman. "OK, let's go." They all re-entered the Javelin, and soon the craft was back in the air, flying to where J'onn directed them.

They reached an even more remote area of the country and landed. After exiting the ship, J'onn stood near a patch of earth. "Under here," he said. "They are a few hundred metres below this area of earth."

"You know the plan," Batman said. "Let's get them out of there."

Diana watched as Batman again avoided eyecontact. She sighed; even when they were about to go into action, he could not look at her. She must have really embarrassed him.

But they had a job to do. She had to put her feelings aside.

She had to forget about him, just as he had apparently easily forgotten about her…

/

Luthor walked into the lounge of his and the Injustice Gang's underground hideout. He had had the complex built during his time at LexCorp, a few years ago. It was a nuclear fallout shelter; it made the perfect secret base.

He looked around at his Gang. Joker was holding yesterday's paper, doodling hair on a picture of Snapper Carr. Copperhead, Star Sapphire and the Shade were playing poker. Luthor noticed that Sapphire was winning by some margin. The Prankster was showing magic tricks to Solomon Grundy, who appeared unmoved by any of them. Harley Quinn was in a corner, looking at a framed picture that she kept in her bag; the picture was of an attractive redhead.

Luthor smiled as he thought about his "secret weapon". The Justice League would never expect it; even if they came charging in right now, Luthor was confident that his weapon would take them out. Part of it would be surprise, of course; they would underestimate it, not suspecting the threat it really was. Luthor laughed inwardly - he could hardly wait to see the expressions on the 'heroes'' faces when they saw his "secret weapon".

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise filled the area. Luthor turned around as the other Gang members stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the sound. The earth above them began to shake, dirt falling onto the floor. Luthor smiled. This was it. He braced himself.

The rumbling sound grew louder and soon turned into a grinding noise. Luthor looked at his Gang members. "OK," he said, "be ready for anything."

The noise grew louder and louder and closer and closer, the dirt falling at a greater rate. After a pile of dirt and mud had been formed on the floor, a form descended from the earth above. It was a red-and-blue form. A person. The form reached the ground and stopped spinning.

Superman stood before the Injustice Gang.

"Please come in," Luthor said.

"End of the line, Luthor!" Superman said. "Where are my friends?"

"Would you like a drink?"

Superman strode towards the group. "No jokes, Luthor! Where are they?"

Luthor raised an eyebrow. "Well, before I tell you… let me show you THIS." He suddenly thrust out his arm, and in his hand was a chunk of kryptonite.

Superman recoiled in pain. "Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!" He fell to his knees, in pain. He began breathing heavily, and collapsed on the floor.

Joker went upto Luthor's side. "Er, Lexy, I don't remember this being part of the plan."

"What do you mean?" Luthor asked.

"I mean…"

The sound of Superman's voice interrupted the Joker. "You mean you hoped the kryptonite would work on me?"

Luthor, Joker and the rest of the Gang looked at the Man of Steel, who was standing upright, hands on hips. The kryptonite now apparently had no effect on him.

Joker's face fell in horror. Luthor's, however, remained calm.

"I had a feeling this might happen," Luthor said.

"No more tricks, Lex," Superman said. "Give up. It's over."

"Indeed it is, 'Superman'," said Luthor, smiling at him.

Suddenly a discharge of energy attacked Superman from behind. "ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" The Man of Steel fell to his knees, and his features began changing…

Unable to keep his teammate's shape, J'onn morphed back into his normal form.

The Gang looked on in surprise. All except Luthor, who smiled knowingly. "Compliments of my 'secret weapon'," he said.

Joker looked at him. "How did…?"

"They pulled the same trick once before," Luthor said calmly. "I figured they thought I'd be stupid enough to fall for it again. Idiots."

Joker smacked his head. "Oooooooooh Lexy, you clever boy! HA! You're just full of surprises!" His face fell. "But er… now that we have him… what do we do?"

Luthor rolled his eyes. "Shackle him and put him in the pit with the others. Be sure to increase the gas output."

Joker clicked his fingers and Solomon Grundy ambled upto them. "Grundy, do the honours," Joker said.

"Grundy not know what 'honours' means…" the giant grumbled.

Joker rolled his eyes. "Oh… just… pick greeny up and take him to his buddies."

"Grundy like green…" The behemoth picked the limp J'onn up and heaved him over his shoulder. He then walked off towards the pit.

Luthor turned to the others. "OK, now that they know where we are, we must be ready. They could arrive at anytime. We mustn't be stupid. There are only three of them left. As long as we keep our heads and stick to the plan, victory will be certain."

"Lexy boy," Joker said, "no wonder you're bald. Your brain is just SOOOOO big. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

TO BE CONTINUED


	8. Chapter 8

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

* * *

PART 8

"Something's wrong."

Superman and Diana and looked at Batman. "What is it," Superman asked.

Batman frowned. "J'onn's communicator has been deactivated quicker than expected. He must have been caught by surprise. He wasn't supposed to be captured so quickly."

Diana froze. Their numbers were dwindling evenmore. Although J'onn's capture WAS planned, it was hoped it would not be so rapid.

"I doubt he had time to investigate the hideout," said Batman. "I hoped he'd have scoped the place out before being caught. I'm going to have to go in."

Diana's eyes widened. The thought of Batman going into a place housing several highly dangerous criminals, alone, was more than she could bear. "You're not going in there," she said sternly.

Batman glared at her. "Don't worry. You two will back me up. You'll go into the main complex and keep the Gang busy for as long as you can. I'm going to be scoping the place out, see if I can find anything."

"Batman," Diana pleaded, "you can't go alone. You're hurt… please…"

He turned away from her. "I'm fine," he said gruffly. "Besides, like I said, you'll be keeping them busy. And if the Gang can take out four of our people… well, Superman will need you more than I will."

Superman raised an eyebrow at that remark, but Batman apparently ignored it. "Remember, strike hard and strike fast. Keep them on their toes. They'll outnumber you, so keep your wits. And, above all else…" he paused. "Expect the unexpected."

"What will you be doing, oh fearless leader?" the Man of Steel asked.

"I'm going to see if I can find anything than can help us. See if I can find the others; find out what's keeping them held and just how many rogues are there. There might be more than just the ones you encounter."

"Finding our people should be easy with the second communicator you gave J'onn," said Superman.

"Exactly," Batman said. "With luck, they won't think of searching him for more than one."

Diana watched as Batman put away his tracking device. She noticed him flinch as his shoulder moved. It hurt her immensely to see him in pain; she could barely hold herself back from demanding that he not go into the hideout. But she knew it was pointless: once the Dark Knight had made a decision, there was no talking him out of it.

"Superman, you know what to do," Batman said. Superman nodded and breathed in deeply. He then blew his breath out as hard as he could, and the gust of wind flew the dirt away from the ground, revealing concrete plating. Batman went upto a plate that had a lock and began picking it. After a couple of minutes, he unlocked the plate and removed it, revealing an entranceway into the hideout.

"You enter through the passageway J'onn drilled," said Batman. "I'll meet up with you later."

"Call us if you need help," said Superman.

Batman stared at them for a moment, silent. Eventually he said, flatly, "Right."

He entered the small passageway and began climbing down. Before he disappeared, Diana said, "Batman, please… be careful."

He looked at her for a moment, and his face softened slightly. "You too," he said quietly. He then disappeared down the passageway.

Diana wondered if it would be the last time she would see him.

/

Luthor looked down on his holding pit as the four Justice Leaguers sat uncomfortably, breathing in the tranquillising gas. He smiled; how easy it had been. He looked at the latest captive, the Martian. Arguably the second most powerful member of the team, brought down by a single shot of his "secret weapon".

Yes, it had been easy… too easy. As he looked at the Martian, he sensed all was not right. He walked onto the glass ceiling of the pit and stared at him. "How are you feeling, Martian?" he asked.

J'onn slowly lifted his head, but remained silent. Luthor continued. "Tell me where you're friends are. Tell me where they are, and… I'll let you go."

J'onn glared at him.

"No, I didn't think you'd go for that," Luthor said. "How about this – you tell me their weaknesses, and I'll release those other three as well as you." He motioned towards Green Lantern, Flash and Hawkgirl.

When he was met with more silence, Luthor continued. "Or maybe it's something else you want. Money? Jewels?" His eyes widened. "Power?"

J'onn remained silent.

"How about it, Martian? You're very powerful, but you feel lonely on Earth, don't you? You feel empty. What if I helped you gain what you want: acceptance? I can help you. I still have contacts. I can get you whatever you want. I can make you the post powerful… man… in the world. You can have it all. You will not be afraid to show your face in public. The public will be afraid of YOU. You'll no longer have to hide yourself away. And of course, your friends will go free."

J'onn stared at him. "I'm intrigued."

Luthor smiled. "Really?"

J'onn spoke slowly. "I'm intrigued… how you became such a successful businessman, with drivel like that."

Luthor winced, but before he could respond, the earth around him was rocked by a gigantic explosion. He darted his head and heard shouting and commotion a few rooms away. He ran out of the pit room, arriving at the main area of the hideout.

Superman and the other female Leaguer had arrived.

The Injustice Gang were caught completely unawares. Luthor rolled his eyes. Did they ever listen to him?

"What are you waiting for?" he shouted, "Stop them!" The Gang heard his order, and attempted to get their bearings together. They began dodging attacks and reaching for their weapons.

Luthor watched as the battle commenced. The Shade enveloped the heroes in blackness, confusing them and sending them crashing into the walls. They recovered quickly, however, and split up, the Kryptonian taking on Shade, Copperhead and Solomon Grundy, and the woman going after the Joker, Star Sapphire and the Prankster.

Superman took Copperhead out with one punch, but was again distracted by the Shade's darkness. However, the Man of Steel apparently used his superhearing to zero in on the villain's position, as he knocked him down and grabbed his wand. As he snapped the object in half, Superman turned and saw Grundy charging towards him. The two collided and flew back into the wall, crashing through it into the solid underground earth.

Meanwhile, the darkhaired woman in red, blue and gold dodged Star Sapphire's energy blasts, dived down and picked Prankster up by his jacket. She then threw him into Sapphire, sending them both to the ground in a heap. Turning her attention to the Joker, she flew down and approached the clown.

Joker appeared scared, but then threw a doll over at her. However, she caught it and, in one fluid motion, threw it back to him. Joker's face fell in horror, before the doll exploded two feet away from him, sending him flying backwards. He crashed into a wall, out cold.

The woman noticed Luthor and strode upto him. Luthor began stepping back, but was confident as he saw Harley Quinn creep behind the woman.

The darkhaired woman fell with a thud as Harley smacked her with the ten-pound mallet. She stood over her, preparing to attack again, but a rumbling noise caught Harley's attention.

Grundy smashed through the wall back into the hideout and crashed into the opposite side. He then slid down, senseless. Superman flew through the hole in the wall and landed on the ground, a little shaken, but otherwise alright.

He saw Harley standing over his female teammate and moved towards her. However, he was interrupted by an energy blast in his ribs. He fell to his knees, his face in agony.

Superman slowly turned his head in the direction of the energy blast.

"Meet my 'secret weapon', Superman," Luthor said.

A figure walked into the room, holding a smoking energy rifle. Superman blinked as he recognised the person.

He whispered his name.

"Deadshot…"

He then collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

The darkhaired woman pushed Harley aside and flew towards Deadshot. Before the hitman could react, she punched him into a wall. She turned to face the Injustice Gang… and saw that she was outnumbered.

Grundy was slowly getting to his feet; Star Sapphire and Prankster had picked themselves up; Harley had returned to her feet; and Luthor was standing with a pistol in his hand.

The woman in red, blue and gold turned and began flying down the hallway. Luthor took aim, and fired an energy blast.

It caught her on the side of the leg, causing her to she lose balance. She flew blind, crashing through a wall. On the other side was a massive cavern. She fell, unable to control her flight, down into the abyss.

"What happened?" asked Harley.

"This nuclear fallout shelter was built near a huge underground cavern," said Luthor. "The abyss goes on for several thousand feet. That shot I hit her with should knock her silly enough so that she won't be able to concentrate enough to fly, and the fall will kill even her." He looked at the mess then turned to Deadshot. "Well done," he said.

"Hey, you get what you pay for," Deadshot said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get a drink." He turned and left for the kitchen.

Luthor looked down at Superman. "Take him to the special cell." Grundy heaved Superman up over his shoulder then walked out the room towards the pit.

Luthor looked at Sapphire and Prankster. "Clean up this mess," he ordered. Sapphire and Prankster looked disgusted, but Luthor walked off before they could say anything.

TO BE CONTINUED


	9. Chapter 9

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

* * *

PART 9

Batman walked down the many corridors of the underground complex. It had not taken him long to realise that Luthor was using a nuclear fallout shelter as a hideout. There were massive rooms, designed to keep food and drink supplies. The complex was designed like a house, with corridors and rooms, to give a feeling of warmth and home to anyone who had to stay there for a long period of time.

Batman wondered just how large the shelter was. Luthor must have invested millions in its construction.

He came across a metal door. He turned the handle and entered the room.

It was like a massive gas chamber, with canisters, tubes and pipes running for metres in every direction. In the middle of the room was a large pumping machine, and Batman heard the noise of the inner mechanisms working away. Somewhere, this machine was pumping gas.

He looked around at the canisters. They were all labelled, but he would have recognised them regardless. Ether, chloroform, halothane, even hospital anaesthetic. There was enough knockout gas here to subdue a whale for weeks – or metahumans for days.

Batman realised Luthor must have been using the stuff to keep the Justice League at bay. They were probably in some chamber or compound, with the gas on some kind of continual pump. If kept there long enough, they would die.

Suddenly, Batman heard movement from down the corridor. He kept to the shadows, slipping out of the room. He hugged the wall and looked around the corner - to see a red-and-silver-clad masked man with a can in his hand.

Batman approached him slowly, silently, then reached out and grabbed him by the shirt, forcefully yanking him off his feet and holding him to his face by the collar.

"You're not very good at taking advice, Deadshot."

Deadshot looked shocked, but appeared to recover quickly. "Yeah, well, I don't listen to my shrink, Batman, so what makes you think I'll listen to you?"

Batman ignored the joke. "Where's Luthor?" he growled.

"Mr. Anti-Hair? He's getting ready for the big party. Everyone's invited – all your Justice League buddies."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "What's he got planned?"

"Let's just say… Superman's gonna watch everyone he cares about get it."

"Luthor's going to kill the League," Batman surmised. "And he's going to make Superman watch?"

"Hey, you ARE the world's greatest detective," Deadshot said.

Batman shook the mercenary violently. "Where's Luthor keeping them? TALK!"

"Well, I would, but…" Deadshot suddenly put a hand on Batman's arm, and a short electric shock burst out from his palm. Batman screamed in agony and let go of Deadshot. Taking his opportunity, Deadshot punched Batman in the face with his padded glove. Batman fell to the floor, shaken, still recovering from the electric shock.

"Just a little device that I like to keep in my palm, Batman," said Deadshot. He then kicked him hard in the gut.

Weakened, Batman looked up to see Deadshot standing over him. The mercenary then placed his foot on Batman's bad shoulder, and a jolt of pain shot up his arm. As Batman gritted his teeth, Deadshot lowered a gun to his head.

"Time to say goodbye, Bats…"

However, Batman quickly removed a tiny batarang from his belt with his left hand, and, like lightning, flicked it to his right hand, then poked it into the barrel of the gun.

Deadshot pulled the trigger… and the gun, blocked, exploded in his hand.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Deadshot shouted as he flew back from the shock.

Batman slowly stood up. "Just a little device that I like to keep in MY palm," he said.

Enraged, Deadshot charged towards the Dark Knight. "Raaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgh!"

Batman remained still, then pulled his arm back and punched Deadshot right in the face, breaking his nose and smashing his eyepiece.

Deadshot slumped to the floor, out cold.

Batman held his hurting left shoulder and sighed. That was too close. He was in no shape to be there. But he had to be. He was the only chance the League had.

He returned to the gas pumping room. He had to find some way to turn the machine off before it was too late.

He hoped he still had enough time.

/

Batman examined the pumping machine, not sure where to begin. There was no simple "Off" switch; it needed a series of commands to shut it down. Luthor almost certainly password-protected it. Batman considered just demolishing it, but it was a massive, and the noise of him destroying it would attract attention before he could do any real damage to it.

Suddenly he received a message from his ear communicator. A voice called his name. It was Diana.

"Batman, are you there…"

Batman put a hand to his ear, activating the device. "Yes, Diana, what's happening?" He noticed her voice sounded pained.

"Batman, there's several of them… they've got Superman…"

Batman narrowed his eyes. This he did not plan on. Now it was just Diana and he against the Injustice Gang. "Where are you?" he asked.

There was silence for a moment. "I need help here," she eventually replied. "I'm not sure where I am. I…"

Suddenly, Diana's voice broke off, and the line went dead. "Diana!" Batman shouted. "DIANA!"

He quickly removed a tracking device from his utility belt and homed in on Diana's communicator. Unlike the other Leaguers, hers was not deactivated, merely not working. It must have been damaged in someway.

Getting a lock on her, Batman raced towards her location. He found he could not run fast enough; his fight with Deadshot had taken more out of him that he thought, and he still had not rested enough after his injury. It was only a minute or so before he felt tired. And Diana was a long way away…

Eventually, he reached the area where her communicator signal was coming from. He stopped and caught his breath. He was exhausted. He looked down and saw an exit door on the floor. Diana was somewhere beyond that.

He opened the door and saw a ladder leading downwards. He climbed down and, upon reaching the end, jumped off and found himself in a deep cave.

He knew there were caverns below this area of country, but he had no idea they were so huge. The caves went on as far as he could see, disappearing into distant darkness. He looked at the tracking device and began walking in the direction the signal was coming from.

As he zeroed in on Diana's location, he calculated that he must be over one-hundred feet below ground. He also remembered there was a deep abyss in this area. He feared Diana had somehow fallen down.

But she could fly. She would be in no danger.

Unless…

Unless the Gang did something to her. Knocked her out, or weighed her down. Or…

Batman shook his head. He had to forget about what MIGHT be, and just find her.

It took him an eternity to reach the signal's location. He stopped and looked ahead of him. There was complete darkness. He was about to reach for his torch, when he heard a voice from a distance away.

"Batman… are you there? Come in!"

It was Diana. She was still alive. She was somewhere here, hidden in the darkness of the caves.

"Diana!" Batman shouted.

"Batman!" he heard. "I'm down here!"

He ran as fast as he could, following the sound of her voice… then stopped short of death.

He ground to a halt as he saw the outline of the edge of the ground beneath him. He avoided plummeting by inches.

He looked down and could make out the abyss below him, with no end. "Where are you?" he said.

"I'm down here," came the answer.

Batman removed his torch from his belt and shone it down the cavern. There, he saw Diana, hanging on by her lasso, which was tied to a petruding piece of rock, a few metres down the cavern. "Are you alright?" he asked, worry in his tone.

"I can't fly," she replied. "Luthor shot me with… some kind of laser. I can't concentrate enough…"

"Don't worry, I'll get you up from there," said Batman. He removed his grappling hook from his belt and pressed the release trigger. The hook shot out, but he stopped it with his hand and held it. He then lowered the grapple down to Diana, keeping a hold on the hook. "Take hold of it," he said.

Diana reached up for the grapple, losing her grip slightly on her lasso. She slipped a few inches, barely managing to stop herself. Pebbles and dirt fell around her as she slid down the rockface.

"Diana!" Batman gasped, but breathed out when he saw she had regained a hold of her lasso and stopped herself. He lowered the grapple a foot lower and she caught it.

"Now, press the trigger, and the line will retract." Batman released the hook and Diana pressed the trigger. The hook retracted back to the grapple.

"Now," Batman instructed, "Fire diagonally upwards, aiming for the rock behind me."

"OK," Diana said, and aimed a few feet from where Batman was standing. She pressed the trigger and the line shot out. The hook hit the rock and imbedded itself in. Diana yanked it a couple of times to make sure it was secure.

"OK, press the trigger again to retract," said Batman.

Diana did what he said and the line pulled her up the abyss and to safety. She kept ahold of her lasso as it slipped off the petrudment it was hooked onto as she passed it.

She settled on the ground next to Batman and fell to her knees. He rushed to her side and held her, to steady her. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Yes," Diana said. "I'm just a bit tired. I was holding on for quite awhile. I'm still a bit weak…"

Batman looked down and saw the burn mark on Diana's leg. "Luthor's laser," he commented, not really asking.

"Yes," she said. "I'll be alright. We have to stop Luthor. We have to get back to the main base."

"No," Batman said. "I've found what's holding the others. It's a pumping machine with tranquillising gas. They must be in some chamber, being fed the gas. We'll be of better help to them if we shut down the machine first."

"OK," Diana said. "Let's go."

They walked back to the ladder leading back upto the hideout. The entire way there, Batman kept his eye on Diana, staying at her side and helping her keep steady. She was still weak.

Two injured Justice Leaguers against several highly dangerous villains.

The situation did not look good at all.

/

Batman and Diana arrived in the room housing the pumping machine. "This is it," Batman said. "We have to destroy this machine."

"Easy as that?" Diana asked.

"The gas will take some time to stop," he said. "From what you told me, the Gang are holding the Leaguers quite some distance from here. It will take awhile for the last of the gas to reach them. Once the machine is destroyed, I calculated it'll take about twenty minutes for all the gas to be used up."

"We better get a move on then," Diana said. She walked over to the door, and began pulling at it. However, it stayed where it was. Diana strained as hard as she could, but the door would not move.

Batman instinctively put a hand on her shoulder. She jerked her head at the contact. Almost immediately, he realised what he had done and quickly removed his hand. He had to stay focused. He could not allow himself to get lost with the woman he loved.

"You're still quite weak," he said as flatly as he could, but his concern still showed. "Take a minute for your strength to fully return."

Diana released her grip on the door and turned to him. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she said.

Batman looked at the burn mark on her leg. "Luthor probably shot you with a synaptic bullet. It's designed to weaken the nerves in the body and generally make a person feel awful. But given your heightened metabolism, you should recover in a few minutes."

"We can't wait forever," Diana said. "Luthor's about to kill the others!"

"I'm hoping he'll wait until he has all of us," Batman said. "He already has five, and he thinks you're dead. I'm hoping that he'll wait for me to turn up before puts his plan into action."

"Still, we can't just sit here," she sighed.

"We're not in any position to mount a rescue," said Batman. "There is no way we could hold off the entire Gang until the gas wore off. We're both hurt already. We have to wait."

Diana looked at his shoulder. "Yeah… I'm… sorry about that."

"About what?"

"You're shoulder. It's my fault you were hurt."

"It's not your fault," Batman said sternly.

"How can you say that?" Diana snapped. Batman was taken aback. "I was there to protect you, and you still got hurt! I was useless!" Diana slumped down on a bench, putting her head in her hands.

Batman looked at her. He could not allow the woman he cherished to feel responsible for his injury. "Diana…" he said, "You weren't responsible. I knew what I was doing. I moved you out of the way so you didn't…" He stopped himself.

She looked at him. "Didn't what?" she asked.

"I…" Batman stuttered. He did not want to admit that he could not bear to see her hurt either. "I did it so you didn't… put yourself in unnecessary danger."

Diana's face softened. "Unnecessary? Batman, nothing's unnecessary when it comes to you…" She suddenly stopped herself and looked away.

Batman was incredibly conflicted. He wanted nothing more that to hold her, to comfort her and never let her go. But he could not. He had to keep his dark, cold image. He had to remain the Batman. He had to…

Diana closed her eyes.

He had to…

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

He…

Her head fell.

He…

He went on his knees and looked at her. He took her hand in his and held it delicately. She looked up at him slowly as she felt the contact.

"You must be disgusted with me now…" she said.

Batman shook his head slowly. "That could never happen, Diana…" he whispered. He stroked her cheek with his other hand and smiled slightly.

Diana stood and Batman followed her up. They stared at eachother for a long time.

The moment was undeniable. Their feelings for eachother had come to the surface. Holding back was no longer possible, no longer important. They had lost themselves in the moment. There was no holding them back anymore.

They leaned closer to eachother, and their lips met gently. A few seconds passed, before the contact ceased.

They looked into eachother's eyes.

They kissed again, their passion intensifying. They pulled themselves closer to eachother, and their lips were locked, inseparable. Batman held her firmly by the waist as Diana wrapped her arms around the back of his neck.

They stayed together, locked in their embrace…

TO BE CONTINUED


	10. Chapter 10

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

_1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

_2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited._

* * *

PART 10

Superman slowly opened his eyes. As his vision focused, he felt a pain in his ribs. He slowly knelt up and saw he was in a cage. Beyond the cage was a bare, barren room, and at the bottom of the room was a glass square. He looked down and saw Green Lantern, Flash, J'onn and Hawkgirl in sedated states in some type of pit.

"J'onn… John… can you hear me," he groggily said.

J'onn raised his head slightly. "Yes… but we're not in very good shape. Luthor has tranquillising gas being pumped into this pit. It's keeping us too weak to do anything."

"Don't worry," Superman said, standing up, "I'll get you out of there." He reached out and grabbed hold of the bars of his cage… and was immediately assaulted with an electric shock. He screamed in agony as fell back down to his knees.

"Uhhhhhhhhn," he groaned. The bars must have been designed to let off an electric shock when touched. But he knew the effects of it now. He should be able to withstand another shock enough to break free.

He stood up and reached out again. However, when he touched the bars again, an even bigger electric discharge hit him. He screamed out and fell back down.

As his body smoked, he heard a door open and saw Lex Luthor and the rest of the Injustice Gang enter the room. He noticed Luthor was in his armoured suit.

"Luthor…" he said. "What have you done?"

"Ah, you're awake, Superman," Luthor said. "And I see you've been acquainted with your holding cage. I wouldn't try anymore escapes if I was you. It was especially designed for you. Deadshot designed it so with every contact you make with the bars, the electric shot goes up 10,000 watts. But I hope you don't try it out; I want you to see what's about to happen to your friends."

"What's your plan, Lex?" asked Superman.

Luthor walked up to the cage. "I plan on killing the Justice League, Superman," he said flatly. "And you're going to watch. And I'm going to kill them very, very slowly. Then, you will die also."

"If that's you plan," said Superman, "you're not very good at counting. You're missing two."

Luthor smiled. "Don't be so sure. The darkhaired woman is dead, and while I AM disappointed that Batman hasn't shown, I'm sure he will. And if not, well, I can kill him another time."

"Luthor, don't do this," Superman said. "Your issue has always been with me! Leave my friends out of it!"

"On the contrary," Luthor said. "Your friends were instrumental in my arrest. My revenge wouldn't be complete without their demise too." Luthor turned around and faced the pit. He moved his arms to the glass. "And now…" he said, "it's time to begin." His hands began glowing as the kryptonite radiation channelled through his armour, ready to release destructive energy.

"Luthor, you slime! Don't do…" shouted Superman. He reached out at the bars, and they again sent electricity through his body, more powerful than before. "Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Superman slumped to the floor, his entire body in agony.

"It's over, Superman…" said Luthor.

Suddenly, an emerald hammer hit the back of Luthor's head. Although the armour protected him from most of the impact, he was still knocked down. He fell down onto the glass floor.

"What was that?" he shouted. As he looked up, though, he saw a semitransparent figure move up from the glass. He then saw the form solidify, until J'onn was standing above him.

"No!" Luthor shouted, "You were tranquillised! This isn't possible!"

Green Lantern smashed through the glass and Flash and Hawkgirl climbed out of the pit. Lantern then willed his ring to glide over to him, and it slid onto his finger. "You're tranquillising gas has been put out of operation, Luthor," he said. "Once the effects wore off, I was able to focus enough to power my ring and bring it from where you'd put it, and knock you down."

"And now," Hawkgirl said, "It's time to knock you ALL down!"

"But that's impossible!" Luthor said, standing up. "The gas pumping machine could only be turned off by me! The only other way for the gas to stop pumping is if…"

"If the machine itself was destroyed, Luthor?" came a female voice.

Everyone's heads turned to see Batman and Diana standing in the doorway. Luthor's mouth was agape. "How is this possible?"

"You should have checked I was dead, Luthor," Diana said. "I destroyed your machine with one punch."

"Get them!" Luthor shouted at the other Injustice Gang members. "Without Superman, you still have a chance to beat them!"

"Which reminds me," Batman said as quickly removed a batarang from his utility belt. He threw it in the direction of Superman's cage and it struck the top of it, where the circuitry box was. The batarang then exploded, destroying the circuits and disabling the cage. Taking his chance, Superman ripped the bars away and stepped out.

"Now that you're all ready…" said Batman, "Strike hard - and strike fast."

/

The room was filled with chaos. The noise was so loud people could hear it aboveground, eventhough the noise was emanating fifty feet belowground. The noise was the sound of people… fighting for their lives.

Superman was battling with Solomon Grundy. Green Lantern was matching power rays with Star Sapphire. Hawkgirl was weaving her way around the Prankster's bag of tricks. The Flash was avoiding the Joker and Harley Quinn's attacks. J'onn J'onnz was locked in a test of strength against Lex Luthor. Batman and Diana were trying to stay clear of Copperhead and the Shade.

Superman punched Grundy through a wall, and turned to see Luthor knocking J'onn down with an electric shock. The Man of Steel moved to help the Martian, but Grundy reappeared from behind and locked Superman in a fullnelson. As Superman struggled to get free, Luthor took his shot and attacked him with a kryptonite ray. Superman screamed in agony, but J'onn stood up and tackled Luthor, stopping his attack.

Meanwhile, Lantern was protecting himself from Sapphire's rays in a green bubble. He tried to fire off an energy beam, but Sapphire's attack was too strong for him to concentrate. She eventually powered through his forcefield and Lantern was send falling to the ground. However, Flash saw him fall and rushed to him, catching him and steadying him on the ground. "Gotcha, GL," he said. Sapphire took her chance and fired at Flash, and he was knocked down by her beam.

The Joker and Harley approached Lantern and, before he could do anything, threw small marbles to the floor. "Ooooooh, he gonna trip up on those, Mr. J?" asked Harley.

"Oh, please," Joker said, "That is so corny." The marbles suddenly exploded and knockout gas flew out, engulfing Lantern and rendering him unconscious before he could react.

Hawkgirl managed to swat away the Prankster's attacks, but Joker caught her from behind with an exploding doll. The Thanagarian fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of her.

"Looks like the doll took out the doll," Joker said. "I love a catfight! HA HA HA HA HA!"

Copperhead launched himself at Batman, but Diana threw herself in the way and knocked the villain to the floor. Batman turned his attention to Luthor, firing a grapple at the leader of the Injustice Gang. It wrapped itself around Luthor, but he sent an electric charge down the line and it hit Batman, sending him flying to the ground.

"Nooooooooo!" Enraged, Diana flew at Luthor, crashing into him and sending him through a wall. She was about to continue the attack when she heard a hissing sound from behind her. She turned her head to see Copperhead moving towards the downed Batman.

"Batman!" She immediately forgot about Luthor and rushed to Copperhead, tackling him and knocking him away from the man she loved. Copperhead recovered quickly however, opening his mouth wide. He bit down hard… but his teeth met Diana's bracelets, and broke on impact. As Copperhead groaned in agony, Diana hit him hard in the face. He slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Luthor emerged from his hole in the wall and was met by J'onn. J'onn pulled his arm back to punch him, but Luthor hit him with a cattleprod. J'onn screamed in agony before Luthor hit him with his armour-augmented fist. "That's twice I've took you by surprise, Martian," he mocked. "Guess you're not as tough as you think you are."

Hawkgirl tried to get her breath back and looked up to see Prankster standing above her. He removed a pistol from his jacket… but a red-and-gold blur sped past him and suddenly, the pistol was gone. "What the…?"

He looked around to see Flash holding the weapon in his hand. "Looking for this, brighteyes?" he taunted. Taking her chance, Hawkgirl hit Prankster in the stomach with her mace, then knocked him out with her fist.

Sapphire tried to attack Hawkgirl with an energy beam, but Diana flew herself into the villainess, knocking Sapphire's ray offcourse and into Grundy. The giant staggered for a moment, and Superman hit him hard with a right hand, sending him into the air and to the ground with a thud.

The Shade suddenly released a cloud of darkness from his wand and the room was engulfed in pitchblackness. After a few moments however, the darkness suddenly disappeared, and Superman stood next to Shade, holding his wand. "How…?

"Can't hide your heartbeat, Shade," said the Kryptonian. Shade looked shocked… then fell to the ground as Batman gave him a nerve-pinch to the neck.

Sapphire hit Diana with an energy blast, sending her flying into a wall. Sapphire flew down and prepared to attack Batman, but her ray beam was blocked by Lantern, who had regained consciousness and protected Batman with a bubble. Flash then ran round in a circle, creating a tornado that shook Sapphire and sent her falling to the ground. "The girls fall for me everytime."

As Sapphire slowly stood up, Batman threw a batarang and hit her in the forehead, cracking her power diamond and knocking her out.

Realising he was now at a major disadvantage, Joker began to run. He turned to Harley. "Come on, Harl!" However, Harley saw her picture of the redhead – having fallen on the ground during the melee - and went to pick it up. Before she could reach it though, Joker grabbed her arm. "Forget that photo, let's go!" They ran out the main room to the corridors.

Seeing them leave, Batman ran after them…

/

Batman ran down the corridors of the hideout in pursuit of the Joker and Harley Quinn. The pair turned a corner, which Batman had earlier seen lead to a massive cargobay. As the base was originally intended as a nuclear fallout shelter, it would have been where food and water supplies were kept.

Batman entered the bay and saw a small jet. It was undoubtedly the Injustice Gang's transport which they had used move from Keystone city to this area of country so quickly. Also around the bay were fuel tanks and small boxes, most probably containing food and water supplies. So the bay had been used for its intended use afterall.

A movement caught his eye. He looked straight ahead of him as Harley appeared from behind a fuel tank, holding a gun. She aimed at him, but Batman knew she was just a distraction. He decided to play a hunch.

"You miss her, don't you?"

Harley blinked. "What?"

"I saw you with the framed picture, Harley. You tried to get it, but Joker wouldn't let you. Why do you have it?"

Harley was taken aback. "I… I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Why do you have a picture of Ivy? You miss her, don't you?"

She froze. "I… I…"

"I know you and her are good friends, Harley," he continued. "You don't want to be here, do you? You want to be with your friend."

Harley lowered the gun. "I… I have to be here for Mr. J…"

"You don't have to do anything, Harley," said Batman. "You want to be with Ivy, don't you? It's Christmas and you want to spend it with her. Christmas is a time to spend with the ones you love."

She forcefully pointed the gun at Batman again. "Like you'd know anything about that!"

"It's something…" Batman smiled. "I've recently come to realise."

Harley hesitated.

"Stop this, Harley," he said. "You can stop this, and I'll take you back to her. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Harley began lowering the gun. "I… I…"

Suddenly, Batman felt a hard object hit him in the back of his head. He fell down in a heap. "Uhhhhhhhhn…" He looked up to see Joker standing above him with a mallet in his hand.

"Ooooohhhhhhhh Batsy," the Clown Prince of Crime said, "I've waited years for this! Now I'm gonna wallop you so hard, you'll end up in a galaxy far far away! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Joker raised the mallet above his head, preparing to hit Batman hard. However, Batman stayed where he was: he had to play his hunch to the end.

Suddenly, a gun flew into the air, hitting Joker in the forehead. He fell back. "Arrrgh! What was that?"

Harley walked over and looked at the gun she had thrown. She then reached into her glove and pulled out a smaller pistol, before pointing it at Joker. "Sorry, Mr. J," she said, "but you're just not what I want for Christmas." She fired the pistol - and knockout engulfed Joker.

Before he lost consciousness, Joker looked at her. "Et tu, Harley," he said. He then slumped down, out cold.

Batman stood up. "Thanks," he said. "Come on, we better get back to the others."

Harley just nodded, and followed Batman back to the main room.

As they ran, Batman remembered what he thought earlier. About how someone deserved a happy Christmas this year.

He never thought Harley would be the one to get it.

/

Batman and Harley re-entered the main room, where the battle between the Justice League and the Injustice Gang was – or rather, had been - taking place. Batman saw all the Gang members on the floor, defeated, except for one.

Luthor charged his armour to maximum power. Electricity surged through the suit's circuits and lit up its wearer. His hands cackled with energy, before he fired a massive blast at the League. The group were thrown off their feet, and they all crashed into the surrounding walls.

Luthor raised his arms into the air. "Looks like I didn't need those idiots anyway," he said. "I have enough power to kill you all!" He fired another blast at Superman, but Lantern created a battering ram and pushed the Man of Steel out of the radiation's way. However, the blast hit a support beam, and the walls began to crumble.

"This whole place is going to collapse!" Batman said. "There're hundreds of tonnes of earth above us – we have to get out of here!"

Superman dodged another attack by Luthor. "Come on, Lex! The whole place is going to go!"

"No!" screamed Luthor. "If I go, I'm taking you all with me!" He fired a blast at another support beam. The dirt began to fall from the ceiling as whole complex shook.

Lantern ran over to Flash. "Flash, get the other Gang members to safety! You're the only one who can do it in time!"

"I'm on it!" he said. He picked the Gang members up off the floor, two at a time, and as fast as he could, moved them out of the complex. With his speed, it did not take him long to find the entrance port Batman had used to enter the complex. He moved Shade and Sapphire out the main area, through the hideout's corridors, up the port and to ground level. He placed them on the grassy ground, and continued on.

Meanwhile, the rest of the League began to group together. They stood next to eachother, as Luthor powered his suit again, preparing another attack. "Ready with the plan," Batman said. He reached into his utility belt and removed a lead box.

Suddenly, Luthor fired another blast, right at Superman. The kryptonite radiation hit him hard, and he collapsed with a thud. "Get him out of here!" Batman shouted. Lantern created a protective bubble and flew himself, Diana, Hawkgirl and Superman out of the hole in the ceiling.

"J'onn, get ready," said Batman.

"I'm going," J'onn replied. He phased his body and glided towards Luthor, the radiation blasts passing right through him. J'onn continued through Luthor, ending up behind him. He then quickly opened up a small hatchway in the armour, revealing the power core.

"J'onn, get out of here!" Batman ordered, as Luthor turned to face the Martian. Batman ran towards Luthor.

J'onn phased again, then flew up and passed through the crumbling ceiling. Before Luthor could turn again, Batman leapt forward, opening the lead box and removing the chunk of kryptonite. He quickly shoved it into the open hatchway, smashing the power core and imbedding the kryptonite in it.

Luthor swung around and caught Batman in the chin. Batman flew back falling to the floor hard. "Now…" said Luthor, "it's time to die, Batman!"

Suddenly, Luthor's armour lit up, as electricity burst out at all areas. The circuits began to fuse and short out. Luthor fell to his knees. "What… what have you done?"

"I figured you were using your armour at its fullest," said the Dark Knight, standing up. "With the amount of radiation you were using, you were already taxing your suit's power to the limit. I simply gave it more kryptonite than it could handle." He went down to pick Luthor up, to carry him out, but Luthor thrust his hand out and gripped Batman's neck and began squeezing his throat.

Luthor had a manic look in his eyes. "You're… going down with me…" he growled.

Meanwhile, outside and on ground level, Flash put Grundy, the last Gang member, on the ground. "Phew," he sighed, catching his breath. "I'm all tuckered out. Good job we're all out."

"Wait," Diana said. "Where's Batman?"

Suddenly, the earth collapsed in on itself a few feet from them, leaving a massive chasm. J'onn looked down. "He… he didn't make it out."

Diana's eyes watered, but then she shook her head. "No!" She then flew back down the hole, as the others looked on in shock.

"Diana, don't!" shouted Lantern, but she was gone.

Batman's breathing was getting more difficult and his vision blurred, as Luthor squeezed harder and harder on his throat. With his last ounce of strength, Batman pulled his arm back and hit Luthor hard in the face. Luthor released his grip, and Batman breathed fast and hard.

They stayed there for a moment, catching their breaths, as the ceiling caved in around them. The rubble and debris began falling in greater quantities, the chunks of ceiling getting bigger and bigger. As the complex collapsed around them, Luthor looked at Batman. "At least… I'm going to see ONE of you die…"

"Don't count on it…" Batman gasped. He then lunged at Luthor, grabbing his shoulders and attempted to pull him to safety. However, Luthor punched him in the face and Batman staggered back. Batman was about to go for him again, when he heard a cracking noise and looked up. Above him was a massive chunk of ceiling, about to fall right ontop of him.

Suddenly, he was pulled backwards out of harm's way, as the ceiling piece fell and shattered on the spot he had been standing on a second earlier. He turned his head slightly and saw Diana holding him by the scruff of the cowl. She then flew up, taking him with her. Batman looked back at Luthor, whose face was a mixture of disappointment, sadness, anger… and even calmness. It was the last thing Batman saw of him, as debris fell all around, until it engulfed him completely.

Diana flew out the hole to the ground above with Batman in tow, then gently set down and placed him on the grass. The entire League watched as the rest of the earth near them collapsed in on itself, completely destroying the hideout.

They all looked solemn. A few moments passed as everyone was silent, then Batman quietly said, "I tried to save him."

J'onn stared at the collapsed earth. "I don't think he wanted to be saved."

Lantern looked at Superman, who was still weak. "We better get fixed up, right after we take the Gang back to prison."

Diana meanwhile, held Batman tight. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Batman. "You?"

"I'm fine," Diana sighed. "But next time you nearly get yourself killed… I'm going to kill you." She gave a slight smile.

Batman smiled back. "Let's go home," he said.

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
